Gangwon FC dropped to the bottom of the table after losing to Suwon Samsung in a ‘doomsday’ match. The team’s simple attacking pattern and lack of goal-scoring ability are still a problem.
Gangwon FC lost 1-2 at home to Suwon Samsung in the 24th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Gangneung Sports Complex on April 22. With the three points, Suwon moved up to 11th place with 18 points, but Gangwon slipped back to the bottom of the table for the first time in four months with 16 points since March 12.
While it’s disappointing to lose a head-to-head match for the bottom spot, it’s even more disappointing to see two teams in similar situations take diametrically opposite paths after this game. Suwon, who switched coaches in May with Kim Byung-soo, have not won in their last nine matches. However, after consecutive draws against powerhouses Daegu FC, Daejeon Hana Citizen, and Pohang Steelers, they pulled off an upset with a 3-1 victory over leaders Ulsan Hyundai on the 15th. This time, they managed to turn the tide by beating Gangwon to escape the bottom of the table and record their first back-to-back wins of the season. Gangwon, on the other hand, had hoped to rebound after the appointment of Yoon Jeong-hwan in June, but have drawn four and lost two of their last six games. A total of 14 games without a win (six draws and eight defeats) hasn’t helped their cause, allowing Suwon to reverse their position in the standings.
The 10th and 11th place finishers in K-League 1 have a chance at the relegation playoffs, so they can stay up. However, the last place finisher (12th) will be relegated directly to the K League 2. There are still 14 games to go, but the psychological impact of Suwon’s escape from the bottom of the table after 104 days is likely to be huge.
The team needs to get back to winning ways as soon as possible, but the game still showed a lack of finishing power, including simple attacking patterns. Rather than playmaking on the ground, it was all about roving passes from the center backs to the heads of Yago and Gabriel. Even when they were successful, sharp crosses were rare.
Meanwhile, Gangwon will be off for about two weeks before returning to action on March 6 against Jeju United at Jeju World Cup Stadium. “I think we need to think about the systematic part of the backline (during the break), and we’ll try to find the right combination of players for that position,” said Yoon Jeong-hwan at the press conference after the match against Suwon. 토토사이트
