It is a showdown between the first and second places that no one expected before the opening of the season.
Pohang Steelers (5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 16 points, 13 goals) ranked first in the K League 1 and Gimcheon Sangmu (5 wins, 1 loss, 15 points, 13 goals) ranked second are set to play the eighth round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Pohang Steel Yard on the 20th.
This is a picture that no one expected before the opening of the season. Pohang and Gimcheon were not mentioned even in the team of sensation, let alone candidates for the title at the opening media day of the K League 1.
“No one has mentioned Pohang yet. That is how big the change is,” Pohang coach Park Tae-ha said. “Personally, our team has been following along well even though the situation has changed sufficiently. The team has shown that it is competitive through the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League,” he said.
When I opened the lid, it was just the coach’s words. More than half of the team’s main players have changed, but they are enjoying streaks of success. In seven games, they lost only in the opening game against Ulsan HD (0-1 loss). Since then, they have been undefeated in six games (five wins and one draw).
He has good balance between offense and defense. Pohang has scored 13 goals in seven matches, ranking second in scoring. The number of shots is seventh with 65, but this means that the team has good goal-getting ability. It is also ranking first in allowing the lowest number of goals, allowing just six goals.
He is also taking advantage of his mercenary skills. The highest scorer in his team is Jeong Jae-hee (four goals), and all four of them are “theater goals” with extra time in the second half. Since his injury last season, he has displayed his peak sense of goal even during a long hiatus. 룸알바
Gimcheon is also boasting its fierce offense. It ranks second (13 goals) along with Pohang. He has been on the rise for two consecutive years, and is drawing keen attention from the tiptoe of Kim Hyun-wook (five goals), the most prolific scorer in his team. He played the third round of the Korea Cup against the Busan I-Park (3-2 win) on Saturday.
Physical fitness problems may emerge as a variable, but the main players will play in normal condition as they have deployed recruits such as Kim Dae-won and Yoo Kang-hyun to rotate the rotation.