Gangwon Jeong Kyung-ho was Also Surprised by Suwon's Relegation










Although he prevented his own team from being relegated, Gangwon FC head coach Jeong Kyung-ho was also surprised by Suwon Samsung's relegation.

Gangwon drew without a goal in the 'final match' of the 38th round of Hana One Q K League 1 2023 against Suwon held at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 2 pm on the 2nd.

Gangwon secured 10th place (34 points) as Suwon FC and Jeju United, held on the other side, drew 1-1. Suwon FC was directly relegated to 11th place (33 points, 44 points), ahead of Suwon by many points, and Suwon was directly relegated to last place (33 points, 35 points).

Gangwon's head coach Jeong Kyung-ho stayed on the bench as coach Yoon Jeong-hwan was unable to sit on the bench due to accumulated warnings. Rather, Gangwon led the game and operated stably, eventually pushing Suwon over the edge.

In addition, regardless of the result of the opposing game, Gangwon, who were likely to remain even if they achieved a draw, showed a good performance by overwhelming Suwon throughout the game. Even in the battle between the two teams, the Gangwon players were not pushed back and showed psychological stability.

Gangwon started the 2023 season under coach Choi Yong-soo, but was greatly shaken. Due to the frustrating offense, the defense made a series of mistakes and the performance continued to drop. Until coach Choi was sacked during the international match period on June 15, Gangwon maintained 11th place, one level higher than Suwon, with 2 wins, 6 draws, and 9 losses through the 17th round.

Coach Yoon Jeong-hwan, who took over after Coach Choi's dismissal, attempted to stabilize the defense. Gangwon, which changed to a back 4 system instead of the back 3 system that was followed under Coach Choi's regime, showed a fast attack speed using the flank attackers. Although this appearance did not appear immediately after his appointment, the organization gradually improved as the game progressed.

Until the end of the 33rd regular round, under Coach Yoon's regime, Gangwon had 2 wins, 8 draws, and 6 losses in 16 games, and 14 points, and even entering the final round, they gradually accumulated points with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 4 games. Gangwon, which achieved a result in the last match against Suwon, was able to maintain its hopes of remaining in the first division after being promoted in the 2016 season.

Coach Jeong, who said before the game, "Gangwon's unique color is showing and the season is continuing in a stable atmosphere," was clearly reflected in the stadium, and Gangwon was ready for the next game.

After the game, Coach Jeong Kyung-ho said at a press conference, “As I said before the game, the 90 minutes of preparation paid off well. Suwon needed to win at home, but it was effective to play defensive soccer and keep the ball and aim to the side. There were no scoring opportunities. “I’m glad that the plan I communicated with Director Yoon was successfully implemented,” he said.

When asked if he thought Suwon would play in awe-inspiring fashion, Coach Jeong said, “I expected it. He thought he would attack by adding Kim Bo-kyung and Jeong Seung-won in the second half, but it wasn't as difficult as he thought. It was home and in front of many fans. “It would have been difficult if we had been aggressive, but we took the lead and played according to plan,” he explained.

Coach Jeong, who has been a player and coach for a long time, also did not think about Suwon's relegation. Jeong Kyung-ho started his career as a player at Ulsan Hyundai in 2003 and played for Jeonbuk Hyundai, Gangwon, and Daejeon before retiring in 2012. Since then,

Kyung-ho Jeong started as coach of the Seongnam 2nd team in 2016, coached Sangju Sangmu (2017-2019), and head coach of Seongnam (2020-2022), and was appointed as head coach of Gangwon in the middle of this season along with coach Yoon Jeong-hwan.

In particular, Coach Jeong experienced Seongnam’s direct relegation in the 2022 season. They ranked last under Coach Kim Nam-il's regime, and after Coach Kim's dismissal, Coach Jeong played the remainder of the season as acting coach, but was unable to avoid relegation.

Coach Jeong said, “Last year, Suwon survived the playoffs. I thought that Suwon would take this as an example and move forward and reestablish itself as a leading club, but it seems there were several problems this year as well. It is unfortunate that Suwon fell to the K-League. “Even in the last game, we should see Suwon fans cheering and filling the stadium, but it’s a shame that the leading club lost,” he said.

Coach Jeong experienced relegation first in Seongnam last year. Coach Jeong said about Gangwon’s current situation, “It is stabilizing under Coach Yoon’s regime, and Gangwon’s colors are coming out. “If we can pursue this and come up with something that makes a difference, we will move to a better team.” However, “Suwon only realized it when he saw all the fans standing silently. I also saw players collapsing on the field and crying. “The moment of silence shows the current state of Suwon,” he lamented.

Many away fans from Gangwon Province came to the stadium. Gangwon away fans sold out the away seats at Suwon World Cup Stadium, and Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Kim Jin-tae also joined in the away support and helped the team escape relegation.

Coach Jeong said, “As someone from Gangwon-do, I am so grateful for this. Filling up the away seats provides motivation. Gangwon is divided into Chuncheon and Gangneung, and many fans visit. “I think the fans gave strength to the team and achieved results like today,” he said, expressing his gratitude.

Gangwon now has the promotion playoffs (PO) remaining. The 10th place team in K League 1 will face the winner of the K League 2 promotion playoffs. Coach Jeong said, “For now, we focused on league games. It will be played against the winner of the Gimpo-Gyeongnam match. “Based on the results, we will analyze the opposing team and come out,” he said.

Gangwon, who succeeded in escaping automatic relegation, will play the second round of the promotion playoffs against the winners of the promotion playoffs between Gimpo FC and Gyeongnam FC on the 6th and 9th.

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