‘The goal of the final round is to win against Seoul’ Managing Director Kim Cheon aims to beat FC Seoul and become runner-up in the 2024 season

(OSEN=Reporter Jeong Seung-woo) Managing Director Kim Cheon defeated FC Seoul and predicted a runner-up finish.

Gimcheon Sangmu Professional Football Team (CEO Bae Nak-ho) will play the 38th round match of ‘Hana Bank K-League 1 2024’ against FC Seoul at Gimcheon Sports Complex at 2pm on the 23rd. Managing Director Kim Cheon is determined to finish the 2024 season as runner-up by winning against Seoul, which is one of the final round goals set by coach Jeong Jeong-yong.

□ The poor performance against Seoul of ‘1 draw, 2 losses’ is truly different this time!

To date, Executive Director Kim Cheon’s performance against Seoul in the 2024 season is shabby. There is no win in 3 head-to-head matches, with 1 draw and 2 losses. Seoul, like Ulsan, is an opponent that Sangmu Kim has not been able to win this season. Coach Jeong Jeong-yong’s goal in the final round was also to win against Ulsan and Seoul. Although the victory against Ulsan was in vain, there remained one last opportunity to challenge for second place and win against Seoul.

There is confidence in victory based on various grounds. Sangmu Kim Cheon went on a winning streak by showing off different tactics in the last two games. In the 36th round match against Suwon FC, several players left due to injuries and disciplinary action, but a new combination that emphasized mobility brought results. In the last game against Pohang, in conjunction with the return of the players, they successfully combined the existing organic passing soccer with the fast-tempo tactics introduced against Suwon FC, and won 3-0. In particular, along with the defense, goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon also showed a stronger appearance by recording clean sheets in two consecutive games with brilliant saves.

On the other hand, Seoul’s last two games ended in draws and the atmosphere is somewhat depressed. In this way, Managing Director Kim Cheon pledges that ‘this time it will be completely different’ along with the new tactics and combinations shown in the last two games and the defensive team’s scoreless performance. They plan to end the 2024 season with a win against Seoul, which was their goal in the final round, in front of the home crowd.

□ Special order given to Kim Bong-su with ‘interest in whether the game will be played or not’: “Control Lingard!”

The key player in the upcoming Seoul game is definitely Kim Bong-su. He has played in 37 K-League 1 games this season and has only one game left until he appears in all K-League 1 games in the 2024 season. With interest in participating in all league games, he is expected to play an important role in this game as well.

Kim Bong-su played as a central defender in the previous three games against Seoul, but he is likely to play as a defensive midfielder, which he has been playing recently in the upcoming game. In attack situations, Seoul’s strong forward pressure must be relieved, and in defense, they must protect the defense and block Seoul’s ace ‘Lingard’, whose activity radius overlaps.

Judging by Kim Bong-su’s recent performance, he is expected to be able to fully fulfill his role. However, the key is how quickly the player can return to normal condition, such as adjusting to jet lag and recovering physical strength, after returning to the national team. Depending on Kim Bong-su’s condition, proven midfield resources such as Maeng Seong-woong and Lee Hyun-sik, as well as new talent Kim Jun-ho, can also be expected to perform well. Meanwhile, today’s game can be watched on skySports, KFN (Defense Information Service Television), and Coupang Play. /reccos23@osen.co.kr

(Photo) Provided by Gimcheon Sangmu Professional Soccer Team