Thank you to the players who did 200% of the game...Enjoy it and keep trying!"

Sep 23, 2024

Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-joong poses after an interview with Sports Chosun at Suwon Stadium. Suwon = Reporter Huh Sang-wook's wook@sportschosun.com

"Thank you to our players for pouring out 200% of themselves in every game, so much so that they can't squeeze anymore."

'Sharpball Magic' Suwon FC manager Kim Eun-joong thanked the players after confirming the top split in his first season as a professional.

Coach Kim's Suwon FC, which has consistently maintained third to fifth place throughout the season due to the stickiness of the team's each game and unbeatable performance, has been in a crisis recently. After the departure of the core of offense and defense such as Lee Seung-woo and Kwon Kyung-won in the summer transfer market, it held out solidly, but it shook sharply after Son Joon-ho was listed on the list of the Chinese Football Association 'Permanent Exclusion' on the 10th for match manipulation. He lost 0-6 to Jeonbuk on the 14th and 2-4 to Gimcheon on the 21st. However, as Jeju defeated Gwangju 2-0 on the 22nd, 7th-ranked Gwangju remained at 40 points, and with two games left in the regular league, the gap between 4th-ranked Suwon (48 points), 5th-ranked Pohang, and 6th-ranked Seoul (47 points) widened by more than six points. Suwon FC, which had been in the relegation zone last year, confirmed its move to Wicht for the first time in three years since 2021.

Ahead of the two tricky away games against Seoul and Pohang, coach Kim welcomed the move to the top split, which came like a gift amid the crisis of two consecutive losses. This is the result of accumulating points without being defeated by the crisis. Coach Kim, who took the helm of Suwon FC, which was ranked 11th in the league, the most goals lost in the league, and fought a relegation war last year, has never revealed the goal of 'Witong'. He only talked about the goal of "One team " to reduce the number of runs, to be a team that has nothing to do with relegation, to prepare as fiercely as the finals of every game, and to play with all their might." "I cared about the team below the team above me while playing one game. I was busy running away, but now I have to go after the team above. "In fact, the goal was to stably get out of the relegation zone. The top split was not expected or thought of by anyone. Our players have done the job. The composition of the players has changed a lot and it is a team that suffered last year. Difficulties were faced this year as well, but the players always followed well. There are many things to be thankful for to the coaching staff who agonized and prepared together every game.

Among the top 1 to 6 teams, Gangwon, Gimcheon, and we all thought we would have a lower split or a relegation war. Rather than aiming for the top split, I spent 200% of every game, so this happened, and I think coach Jeong Jung-yong and coach Yoon Jung-hwan probably felt the same way." "All directors prepare strategically for each team and prepare various methods of attack. Since everything is well prepared, the condition and variables of the day play a big role regardless of the ranking table. If we prepare well for each other, the team that matches the team tactics well will win the game. "Yesterday, Ulsan, the first place, and Incheon, the 12th place, drew." In terms of rankings, Ulsan is expected to win, but the result is a draw. This is why the K-League is hard. Every race is the final."

Above all, I am very proud of the players' performance that has been revived under the mechanical ball. Jung Seung-won, who had only two assists at Suwon Samsung over the past two years, scored eight goals and six assists 'Career High'. Ji Dong-won, who desperately needed a chance at FC Seoul, revived with five goals and one assist. Six goals and 12 assists 'Help King'Anderson is the best foreign striker, coveted and wary by all teams. While veterans such as Lee Yong and Yoon Bit-garam are at the center, Kang Sang-yoon (3 goals and 2 assists), Lee Jae-won (1 goal and 3 assists), and Park Chul-woo (1 goal and 2 assists) also continued to grow with their professional debut goals and most points. Manager Kim said, `All the players performed more than 200 percent each, enduring a difficult time. I'm just thankful that you don't show off and run hard," he said, turning the ball around. The reason why he used the myth of the semi-finals at last year's Under-20 World Cup and the coach 'Sharp', who proved his ability to maximize his strengths again, also mentioned the list of the dagger in the match against Gimcheon. '(Lee)Seung-won scored his professional debut goal against us. Because I called 'Congratulations on your debut goal, but you're betraying yourself now. It's the end." "I thought there was a foreign striker in Gimcheon," said Lee Dong-kyung, who scored one goal and two assists," he said in compliments.

Coach Kim, who settled in the upper water and already exceeded his goal, delivered a message to the players, saying, `Now let's have fun and challenge ourselves.' It is difficult to make major changes in the remaining games and limited squads, but I firmly believe in the existing players. "Now you don't have to worry about falling down. In fact, we are the least burdened among the top teams. I want to say let's have fun and try more."

The challenge of the undaunted mechanical ball continues. "Now that I've done my big homework, I hope we can ease the burden from now on and not settle down here, but challenge ourselves to a higher place. Many players have achieved career highs this season, but I think they can do more than enough. Once you're satisfied, it goes downhill. So I hope you keep trying."

sky4us@sportschosun.com