Is it a first-place defender or a mid-ranked leap forward? The Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Hyundai, who have different dreams, will have their first league showdown this season.
The Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Hyundai will play the 11th round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Pohang Steel Yard at 4:30 p.m. on the 4th.
Already, the two teams have played 10 matches for this season. The mood is quite the opposite. Pohang is leading the league with six wins, three draws and one loss (21 points). On the other hand, Jeonbuk is ranking eighth with two wins, four draws and four losses (10 points).
Pohang is on a roll. Pohang has appointed Park Tae-ha as its new coach ahead of this season. As Kim Ki-dong, who had been in charge of the team for nearly five years, left for FC Seoul, there were many suspicious glances.
However, they were all groundless. In the opening match, Pohang lost 0-1 to Ulsan HD. Since then, however, it has raced to No. 1 ranking after nine matches without loss. It is trailing Ulsan (20 points), which played one match less, but this momentum has nothing to fear.
Notably, he scored four goals in an away match in Gangwon Province, which was the previous match, displaying strong enthusiasm. Jung Jae-hee, who started as the starting pitcher, scored a hat trick in a month, to become the top scorer with seven goals. Lee Ho-jae also scored a goal in three matches, warming up his sense of scoring.
Above all, the team has perfect balance between offense and defense. With 17 goals, Pohang is ranking second in overall goal tally after Ulsan (21 goals), and has allowed the least number of goals (eight goals) in defense as well. In addition, it finished arranging the physical stamina of key players including Wandelson, Shin Kwang-hoon, Han Chan-hee, and Baek Sung-dong at the match against Gangwon Province. The team can play in the match against Jeonbuk with confidence at home.
Jeonbuk, which is on the road to Pohang, desperately needs a turnaround in the atmosphere. However, I wanted to survive after Coach Petrescu put down the baton, but the atmosphere was dampened by the defeat against Incheon.
Jeonbuk, which had no win until the sixth round, switched to the acting team Park Won-jae and grabbed Gwangju and Seoul in succession. However, it was leading 2-0 in the match against Daegu, but ended up tying after allowing two goals in extra time in the second half, causing its plans to falter. At an away match against Incheon, the team dropped its head by allowing three goals in the second half alone.
Stabilization of defense is urgent. Hong Jung-ho and Park Jin-seop are away due to injury, and they are having a hard time cracking down on the back door. Lee Jae-ik is also unavailable due to the aftermath of his exit from the match against Incheon. Only when all 11 players, including Jeong Tae-wook and Koo Ja-yong, move in one mind can they dream of their first clean sheet of this season.
It is positive that the team’s offense has been reviving recently. Jeonbuk had consistently scored more than two goals in four consecutive games before the match against Incheon. Song Min-gyu led the team’s attack by taking on many roles, and Hernandez, who returned from injury, also scored a must-have goal. Jeonbuk’s offense can also break through Pohang’s salty defense once it catches fire. 안전놀이터
Meanwhile, Jeonbuk smiled at the showdown between the two teams held in February. At the time, the team won 2-0 at home and had a 1-1 draw in an away match, clinching a berth in the AFC Champions League (ACL) quarterfinals. Jeonbuk is seeking revenge against Pohang and is seeking to revive fond memories of the team.