Pohang, Park Tae-ha's second-year preparation signal for the second year of the Park Tae-ha regime, which has held the veteran line tightly from captain Wandel Son to Cheolin Shin Kwang-hoon

Jan 01, 2025

Photo = Korean Professional Football League

From captain Wandelson (35) to Shin Kwang-hoon (37) who is a 'iron man'. In preparing for coach Park Tae-ha's second season, the Pohang Steelers definitely caught veterans who will support the team.

Pohang continued to announce the renewal of its contract from the 25th to January 1, 2025, when the new year began. The start was captain Wandelson. Wandelson is a veteran foreign player who has played in the K League for nearly 10 years. He has been captain of Pohang since the 2024 season. It was the core of Park Tae-ha's tactics along with playing in all league games last season and the longest time in the team (3319 minutes). 'Wandelson Shift' enabled tactical flexibility. Soon after, other veterans renewed their contracts. Yoon Pyeong-guk (32), who became the gatekeeper under coach Park, remained on the team as the next runner. He also signed contracts with Kim In-sung (35), who won the Korea Cup, and Baek Sung-dong (33), who was the king of assistance in the 2023 season. Shin Kwang-hoon, the oldest member of the team and who played for 13 seasons in Pohang alone, also announced the renewal of his contract. All four players were difficult to leave out of Pohang in the 2024 season, including defense and offense.

Holding Pohang's veteran is one of coach Park Tae-ha's plans to prepare for the next season. Coach Park said in an interview after the end of the season, `We decided to keep the existing players together until next year"We planned to go with them because they are essential players to show better performance than in the 2024 season. " He chose a strategy to protect veterans and strengthen his power.

Pohang Steelers coach Park Tae-ha, waiting for the start of the 2024 Korea Cup final between Pohang Steelers and Ulsan HD at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 30th. Sangam = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2024.11.30/

It has already shown Pohang's potential by uniting with veterans at the center last season. In September last year, Shin Kwang-hoon and Wandelson defended the team's defense in the process of escaping the difficult crisis of six consecutive losses, and Yoon Pyeong-guk defended the victory with stable saves. Veteran Kim In-sung also scored the winning goal after extra time in the Korea Cup final. He is also positive about the team's depth issue. Pohang had difficulty managing the team in the 2024 season due to injuries. If all the veterans had left, it is likely that the same problem would have been repeated in the 2025 season.

The role of senior players is also important to create an environment in which promising players such as Hong Yoon-sang, Lee Tae-seok, Lee Ho-jae and Ahn Jae-joon will grow and play. These are the players who will set a clear example for inexperienced young players. If the veteran's experience and the spirit of young players harmonize well, it can also be a driving force to challenge the next season's championship competition.

Pohang's willingness to make coach Park Tae-ha's second season hotter and the renewal of his contract were strongly revealed. Pohang, which has almost finished forming its squad, is expected to begin full-fledged team training in Hua Hin, Thailand, on the 5th.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.