“I guess I have a 勝福.”
K League 2 Busan I’Park has long forgotten the “offensive index” of the unprecedented heat wave. Since the recruitment of coach Cho Seong-hwan (54), the team has seen its mood slump and the cold response of fans have reversed.
As a result, the world of professionals, coincidentally, has changed as Cho’s performance has improved since he took office.
Officials from the secretariat of Busan, who won the 29th round home game against Seongnam FC 3-1 on the 1st, called for a pleasant surprise. “The coach has finally risen to the first place in the winning rate.” Cho, who made his Busan debut in the match against Jeonnam (3-2 wins) on July 20, has recorded four wins, one draw and two losses in seven games so far. Based on the last seven games, it is the highest winning rate among the 13 K League 2 clubs. Until the 29th round, Seoul E-Land coach Kim Do-kyun had the highest winning rate in seven games (4 wins, one draw and two losses), but he was slightly behind Cho as he drew the match against Ansan on August 31.
Club officials seemed to be supporting Cho’s success by comparing the winning rate of other teams. It is obvious that they want to feel happy because they have never enjoyed such luxury this season, and they should not hear that there is nothing better in replacing the coach.
The jinx of home games, which had been a chronic illness in Busan this season, is also showing signs of improvement. Prior to Cho’s inauguration, he won only one home game (three draws and six losses), but since then he has added two wins (one draw and one loss).
The winning rate has not just improved. Club officials say that the back door has become solid as the players’ playing posture has changed. If you watch games in Busan these days, you can often see two to three players pressuring each other instantly for cooperative play when they are competing with each other in the midfield. The number of players who stand still and engage in pass walks has also decreased significantly as in the past. As players can trust each other, they have enhanced their confidence in deploying offense, and even if the ball is taken away, they have a strong teamwork that avoids losing.
“Based on the analysis of Busan’s game video, we focused on making use of our offensive strengths and making up for our weaknesses in defense,” Cho said. “It seems that we talked a lot about the change of air defense and the gap between the lines during defense. It’s not enough yet, but we’re improving.”
Along with the improved win rate, I had happy thoughts. This is due to the luck of the retro uniform that started to be worn in the match against Gimpo on April 24. To commemorate the 45th anniversary of its foundation, Daewoo Royals, the predecessor, has restored the dark blue color it wore in the 1997 season to its special uniform. The 1997 season was the golden age when Daewoo won the first three K-League titles (the Raffido Cup, Adidas Cup, and Prospecs Cup).
Has such spirit worked? Since the match against Asan in South Chungcheong Province (1-0 win) on Aug. 18, when the team’s special uniform was officially released in earnest through pictorials, the team has had three consecutive undefeated matches (two wins and one draw). Originally, Busan planned to wear it for the last time in a home game against South Gyeongsang Province on Aug. 22, but is considering continuing its push. For now, the team will consult with the Professional Football League and the Jeonnam team to wear the special uniform at an away game in Gwangyang on Aug. 15. 스포츠토토
Kim Byung-seok, CEO of the Busan club, said, “The symbol color of Busan I-Park is red, but if Busan fans who have a lot of memories of Daewoo prefer it, we will boldly introduce blue,” adding, “The combination of the crown shape of the emblem during the Daewoo period with the shield shape of the I-Park on the special uniform is also receiving great response for embodying “Respect” for Daewoo Royals.”