Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo"Players' strength to hold out...At some point, the opportunity will come to us."
Jul 05, 2024
|
Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo delivered a message of hope, praising the players who are struggling after the draw against Suwon. Ulsan led with Ataru's first goal in the away match of Suwon FC in Hana Bank's K League 1 at Suwon Stadium on the 5th, but allowed Suwon Kang Sang-yoon to equalize in the second half and drew 1-1.
After the game, Hong said, `Today's game was not bad for our team. I'm sorry that I didn't have enough shots in creating chances, but other than that, I was okay overall", he commented. He praised the performance of the team, which is accumulating points while four to five main players are unable to play due to injuries. "The biggest challenge for us was losing to Yokohama in the ACL semifinal extension," coach Hong said. "We had physical difficulties in our schedule that extended 120 minutes in important games." We are holding on by getting points from our players despite the difficulties. "The reason I praise our players is that Yokohama has fallen to a few places in the league since returning from the finals after our game. We had a chance to do that, but I want to tell our players that we recovered and overcame the slump without a slump and that we are in second place." "At some point, I think we will have an opportunity."," he said emphatically. Below is the full text of Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo's post-match question-and-answer session.
-general evaluation of the game
▶Today's game was not bad for our team. It wasn't bad to play while owning the overall offense and defense and ball, but it's a shame that the result wasn't a lot of chances for the opponent. The other part was good by the players. It's a pity that there was a lack of shooting in creating chances. To score, there is a limit to making it, so you have to be conscious of shooting at any point, but other than that, it was okay overall.
-Is there any problem with your stamina
▶ Players who are rotated are okay, but those who continue to play have difficulties. Central defense players have difficulties because they are veteran players. Overall, it's holding up well.
-Gimcheon drew. Are you conscious of ranking competition.
▶One day, we will have a chance. You'll be able to take advantage of that opportunity. My honest feelings continue to endure. Four to five best members are behind, which will inevitably weaken the overall. I also feel bad when I see the weakened power. The players won't be good either. From June to now, I personally think our players are enduring well.
-Ulsan continues to endure. When will he get out of it
▶We have been playing a game where we overwhelm our opponents who have been consistent and lose when we are unlucky, but on the contrary, we lead the game with difficulty. Our preferred defender role is that the defender is the first starting point of the offense, and the offense varies greatly depending on where the pass goes, but the defense plays an offensive role, which is unfortunate in the build-up process. It is difficult for four to five players, including defensive players, to return in July and the week after next.
-The foreign player Bacona came to Calvin, and the contribution of the foreign player seems to be small.
▶In the case of our team, Martin also had a euro in June, and Joo Min-gyu is also weak. Matheus has a stronger defensive tendency than offense, but since he played aggressively, Calvin would also have played a support role on the side, and if there was a Rubik'sson player, Calvin would have played a support role, but other players are playing because they are judged to be not perfect in terms of performance. From my point of view, I want those players to play the form we've been playing, but honestly, I'm not in a position to do that. You have to endure until the main players come back.
-I'm sure you expected it to be like this before the season
▶The biggest crisis for us was when we lost to Yokohama in the ACL semifinal extension. There were physical difficulties in the schedule that extended 120 minutes in important games and continued. We could have gained points and, of course, gained more points from our players despite the difficulties, but the reason we praise Yokohama is almost 10th place in the final after our game. We had the possibility to do that, but I want to tell our players that it's okay that we're in second place to recover and overcome without a slump. I think I can play better if I overcome such crises and difficulties and return to the players.
-Why is the deviation between clubs decreasing this year?
▶The club recognized the importance of players and the recruitment of players was leveled. If good players only went to Jeonbuk and Ulsan, now other teams go, so I think that gap narrows. Coach Kim Eun-joong of Suwon and Park Chang-hyun of Daegu, who are starting anew this year, also came in and played fun soccer, which seems to increase the league's competitiveness and be good. As a result, the gap seems to be narrowing. If we had done better, we would have been in a higher position, but since it's a situation where we can't, I think there will be an opportunity to go in this form. That's what I'm saying to our players. There were times when they were more than 10 points ahead. What I'm anxious about is that I'm getting 10 points and then I'm anxious when I get 8 points. I was anxious when it went from double digits to single digits. I'm one point behind now, but it's comfortable. In the past, I was nervous even if I was ahead. I'm not looking at it negatively. I think at some point we will have a chance.
-What about Martin Adam's contract?
▶ It is difficult to send him without a transfer fee during the contract because the contract is over under mutual agreement and he wants to stay in Europe and his family has difficulties, but it is enough to release him as a free agent compared to Martin's performance to our team. I'm sorry I couldn't do it longer, but I don't know where my destination is, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.
sky4us@sportschosun.com
