`It's shorter than Paris' life these days.' No manager is safe, the K League trapped in the shadows of relegation
Jul 10, 2024
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The timing of manager change is faster than ever. It is the first season in which more than four coaches have broken up since the opening of this season from 2013 when the K League introduced the split system, which is a platform system, until July 8. It's time to just turn the halfway point and pass about 55% of the entire season. It surpassed the 2023 season (Suwon Lee Byung-geun, Jeonbuk Kim Sang-sik, Gangwon Choi Yong-soo) and the 2019 season (Incheon Yon Andersen, Pohang Choi Soon-ho, and Jeju Cho Sung-hwan), where three players each changed. In the 2022 season, there was one (Suwon Park Geon-ha), and in the 2021 season, there was no single leader who was replaced before September.
Spring and summer are no longer safe. There is no time to rebound in the second half by reinforcing power in the summer transfer market. In the flow of losing the trust of fans due to poor performance, press 'hard button' without fail. Due to the nature of the K-League, 'hardness' with a strong nuance of 'cutting' is not common. It is packaged and announced as 'Resignation due to poor performance'.
In the 2023 season, six coaches, the most ever in K League 1, were withdrawn during the season. They are Lee Byung-geun of Suwon, Kim Sang-sik of Jeonbuk, Choi Yong-soo of Gangwon, Ahn Ik-soo of Seoul, Kim Byung-soo of Suwon, and Nam Ki-il of Jeju. Looking at the pace of managerial change this year, the possibility of breaking the record for the most managerial change in a single season cannot be ruled out. If defending champion Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo leaves to take charge of the A national team, five coaches will already be changed by July. Including the K League 2, there are eight players. Earlier, Seongnam Lee Ki-hyung, Suwon Yeom Ki-hoon, and Busan coach Park Jin-seop stepped down. The reason for stepping down is not much different between the leaders of K League 1 and K League 2.
Multiple coaches who have watched fellow leaders drop their batons one by one are complaining of extreme pressure. Even if I'm not in the relegation zone, it's because I think I can be the coach who quit one day. A domestic leader with professional experience said, `At the beginning of the season, we need to make new changes, such as putting in a new tactical strategy and a new pace, but recently, as soon as the season opens, there is an atmosphere in which the fight for staying takes place,' adding, `You can often see him rushing down the line in a hurry to win points from the beginning of the season. The director is often referred to as the `Paris Life.' These days, leaders say it is shorter than the Paris Life" he lamented.
Another footballer pointed to the brutal reality that starting in the 2022 season, the relegation system has increased from the existing '1+1 (playoff)' to '1+2 (playoff)', which could lead to up to three teams being demoted. He complained that there is a lot of psychological pressure from up to two of the 12 teams being demoted to the second division with a probability of about 16.7%, and one of the four teams, 25%, being demoted. The official explained that the K-League has the highest relegation rate compared to the European and Asian leagues. In fact, three out of 20 teams (15%) will be demoted in the EPL, La Liga and J-League, while up to three out of 18 teams (16.7%) will be demoted in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
