Jeonbuk Hyundai’s first step toward recovering its self-esteem was the appointment of its coach Kim Doo-hyun. Jeonbuk announced on Thursday that it has appointed Kim as its eighth head coach. It was a choice to make changes to the team that has shown a clear downward trend recently.
The process of appointment was longer than expected. Coach Park Won-jae has led nine games (3 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses) as acting coach since the home game (2-3 losses) against Gangwon FC on July 7. A person who does not possess a P-level license almost completed the 60 days when he can act as an acting coach. The situation has resulted from a considerable amount of internal difficulties. The club quickly decided on the “Kim Doo-hyun Card,” but the parent company did not understand that it was trying to bring in someone who had not been verified as the “official coach.”
In any case, the dice was thrown. Jeonbuk has consistently persuaded its parent company to open the era of Kim Doo-hyun. “We have invited a person who has leadership that suits the environment, trends, and times of modern soccer,” explained Lee Do-hyun, Jeonbuk’s general manager.
Kim knows the team well. He worked as a coach for Jeonbuk from 2021 to May last year, and led as acting coach for eight matches (five wins, two draws and one loss) until Dan Petrescu (Romania) took the helm after Kim Sang-sik (currently Vietnam national team coach) stepped down.
Having served as coach of China until recently, he unpacked his luggage at the clubhouse in Wanju, North Jeolla Province on Tuesday and led the first training session in Chuncheon on Friday. He then played an away match of the 15th round of “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” against Gangwon FC at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon on Tuesday.
As the official announcement was delayed, the spotlight was on Kim. After asking the team’s understanding, Jeonbuk held an inaugural press conference at a hotel in Chuncheon, the team’s lodging, on the afternoon of the 29th, the day of the game, and more than 20 reporters visited the team.
He looked a little nervous, but Kim’s response was cool. “I will turn my concern into expectation and pleasure. First of all, I will aim to enter the Final Round Group A (ranking first to sixth). If I get in the mood, I will hit and jump scary,” Kim said. “I asked the players to have confidence. The message was that games are not about fear, but about joy. If you enjoy them, you will get results.” 메이저사이트
He also revealed his specific philosophy slightly. He emphasized balance in the positioning game to secure time and space. “Formation is meaningless. How well we position ourselves in attack and defense is important,” Kim said while waiting for his team’s announcement, analyzing numerous Jeonbuk games.