“We’re in the relegation zone?” Gangwon and Suwon FC reversed their predictions before the season

Gangwon FC and Suwon FC finished the first round robin (1st to 11th rounds) in a top split. They reversed the observation that the two teams would be in the relegation zone as they did last season.

Gangwon, which played the 11th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Suwon Sports Complex on Sunday, has come from behind to beat Suwon FC 2-1. Gangwon added three more points, tying Suwon FC (15 points), which ranks fifth in the league, and its multiple points have advanced to fourth place.

Gangwon and Suwon FC moved around the relegation zone throughout the last season. The problem was poor offense in Gangwon Province, and poor defense in Suwon FC. Gangwon was the bottom in the league with 30 goals in 38 league games. Suwon FC had 76 goals in 38 league games, rewriting the record of most goals lost in the K-League 1, surpassing that of Sangju Sangmu (currently Gimcheon Sangmu) in 2012. The two teams managed to remain in the K-League 1 by beating over Gimpo FC and Busan I-Park, respectively, in the promotion and promotion play-off.

There was little reason to be optimistic that the two teams would perform well again this season. With Kim Dae-won, the former ace, joining the Gimcheon Sangmu team, Gangwon spent the transfer market without recruiting big names. Suwon FC recruited players with names such as Ji Dong-won, Kwon Kyung-won, and Jung Seung-won, but the ups and downs of the early season were expected given that Kim Eun-joong was newly appointed.

However, the two teams are cruising in different colors early in the season. The team scored 19 goals in the league, creating a stir that ranks second in score tally after Ulsan HD (22 goals). Suwon FC is still tying for ninth in lost points in the league with 16 lost points in the league, but has improved teamwork and is gaining practical benefits.

The two teams’ strengths were also revealed in this game. Suwon FC made the first goal by freely performing rear build-up, counterattack, and quick reverse conversion based on stable defense until the middle of the second half. Gangwon seemed to save the physical strength of its main players in the first half, but in the second half, it beat the opponent team’s goal based on a modified three-back strategy that it enjoyed at the end of last season.

Currently, Gangwon and Suwon are tied with 15 points. In terms of multiple points, Gangwon was ahead of Gangwon in fourth place and Suwon FC in fifth place. Both teams took the top split in the first round robin. It exceeded pre-season expectations.

Of course, there is still homework to be solved. Gangwon has lost 20 goals this season, the most in the league so far. Suwon FC is ninth in scoring in the league with 11 points. What were considered as the strengths of each team last season turned into weaknesses. Also, Gangwon has a thin lineup of starters, which has remained almost unchanged in the last three games. Suwon FC is in a situation where strikers rarely score. The two teams are still in a transitional period, not a stable period.

The coaches of the two teams are also well aware of this. “Many people said we would be in the relegation zone,” Gangwon coach Yoon Jeong-hwan told reporters after the match. “We had some difficulties because the new players were not active in the first division, but they desperately want to play. They seemed to encounter limitations a few games ago, but due to intense matches, they gained physical strength. It is a good experience. I think the fact that the results continue to the players will come back with confidence. I have to do better from now on. I will prepare with a new mindset,” said Kangwon coach Yoon Jeong-hwan. 먹튀검증

Suwon FC manager Kim Eun-joong also said, “The players have changed a lot this season, and the preparation time was very short. The players followed well in the first round robin. I gained some points that I thought I would have had, but there were some games that I felt sorry for. If I had scored more points in the striker’s position, I would have accumulated four to five points more than I have now. I will try to supplement this part as much as possible in the new robin.”