Who will 'Man City' be the leading three-way race in the K-League, Gimcheon-Ulsan-Pohang?
Jul 01, 2024
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Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, which are currently called the "three leaders" of the EPL, stimulated soccer fans' interest by competing fiercely until the end of the season. It was so fierce and thrilling that Alex Ferguson's era was held in the 1992-1993 season, the 2001-2002 season when Manchester City competed, and the 2013-2014 season when Manchester City entered the championship in earnest. At the end of the season, Manchester City and Arsenal played a game of 「If you don't win, you fail to win」, and in the end, Manchester City, which won nine consecutive games, won four consecutive league games. There was a two-point gap with second-place Arsenal.
In the K-League in the 2024 season, it is attracting attention as there is a leading race as much as last season's EPL. Military team Gimcheon Sangmu leads the game with 11 wins, 6 draws and 3 losses and 39 points, while defending champion Ulsan is chasing Gimcheon by one point with 11 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses and 38 points. Pohang, ranked third, is also pressing Gimcheon by one game with 10 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses and 37 points. The difference between the lead and the third place is only two points.
The rank is also 'flip and fall' Since Ulsan took the lead for the first time in the last three rounds, the three teams have been fighting for seats at the top. From April to mid-May, Pohang, led by head coach Park Tae-ha, was one step ahead by directing Taeha Drama, but from the end of May, Ulsan took the lead with an unbeaten run. Recently, Gimcheon's lead has fluctuated again as it has changed its habit of drawing to winning habits and has won three consecutive games. The 18th round ranking, which was Ulsan-Pohang-Kim Chun-soon, changed to Gimcheon-Ulsan-Pohang in just a week. Gimcheon won 2-0 at home against Daegu on the 29th of last month, and Pohang won 2-1 at home against Ulsan in the same round. Once you slip, the ranking changes.
It's a far cry from the last two seasons. In the 20th round of the 2023 season, the difference between the lead Ulsan (50 points) and the third-place Seoul (33 points) was 17 points, and in the 2022 season, the difference between the lead Ulsan (43 points) and the third-place Pohang (33 points) was 10 points. Ulsan, which had been in the lead since the beginning of the season, won the cup for two consecutive seasons without any unexpected incident. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo said at a press conference against Pohang on the 30th of last month, `It would be more interesting at the league level to change the lead every week than to see a team win overwhelmingly and fight for the second place.'," he said with a smile. Coach Kim Jeong-yong, the surprise leader who broke his own K-League 1 record, won eight games in 2022 (in K-League 1). It's already the 11th win. I don't know what will happen in the future either. I'll do my best with the players" he said.
There have been many two-way races in K-League history, but three-way and four-way races are very rare. The last season in which three or more teams competed for the championship until the beginning of the second half was 2010. Based on the 15th round of the season, which was a 28-game regular league system, three teams in Jeju, Jeonbuk and Gyeongnam formed the lead with 9 wins, 4 wins, 2 losses and 31 points. The rankings were divided by gains and losses. Fourth place Seoul, which was one point away from them, wrote a drama in which they won the regular league with a last-minute overturn. This season, the difference between the fourth-place Gangwon (34 points) and the first-place Gimcheon is only five points and the fifth-place Suwon FC (33 points), so it is not strange to see any drama unfold in the remaining 18 games. A three-way race can be a five-way race or a two-way race.
In the current league system, where up to three of the 12 K-League teams are demoted, it was of keen interest to see who would be demoted. Although fans are still interested in 'lower neighborhood', there are plenty of things to see in 'upper neighborhood' this season. Which team will laugh at the end like Man City?
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
