Jeonbuk accepted the worst-case scenario.
Jeonbuk lost 2-3 in the second leg of the group stage of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) against Bangkok United held at Thammasat Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on the 4th.
We had no choice but to admit defeat, not only in terms of the result of the game but also in terms of content. Bangkok played aggressively, pushing hard against Jeonbuk throughout the game. There was little difference in the number of shots: Jeonbuk had 12 and Bangkok had 11. Since it was a loss that came from a head-to-head match, it is difficult for Jeonbuk to make excuses.
This is the result I was concerned about. Jeonbuk’s performance has recently hit rock bottom. In the first game of the ACL, they had a poor performance against Kitchie SC (Hong Kong), which is considered the weakest team in Group F. The performance was bad enough to barely win 2-1. In the following match against Gwangju FC in K League 1, they used an extreme counterattack tactic after losing a player, and won with a lucky goal. However, in the last round, they were completely defeated by Daegu FC and fell to 7th place, equivalent to Final B. Jeonbuk is recording 46 points, Daegu FC is in 4th place with 48 points, and FC Seoul and Incheon United are in 5th and 6th place with 47 points.
The aftermath of this is more problematic than the ‘Bangkok disaster’ itself. If Jeonbuk fails to win against Seoul in the 33rd round, the last game of the regular round, it is confirmed that it will fall to Final B for the first time in the club’s history. If you lose, it’s unconditional, and if it’s a draw, you have to watch the results of the game between Incheon and Ulsan Hyundai. This is a difficult report card to accept for Jeonbuk, which was recognized by everyone as the absolute top ranked team in the K-League. Although there is a power leak caused by sending five key players (Baek Seung-ho, Park Jin-seop, Song Min-gyu, Kim Jeong-hoon, and Park Jae-yong) to the Asian Games, Jeonbuk is a team that originally had to overcome this level of handicap.
We need to put out the fire immediately. We desperately need a win against Seoul. Jeonbuk is at an absolute disadvantage in terms of physical strength. The opponent, Seoul, will rest well for a week and prepare intensively for the Jeonbuk match. On the other hand, Jeonbuk has to play in the extreme environment of 28-29 degrees Celsius and 70% humidity, then return to Jeonju and play against Seoul without being able to rest properly. It is difficult to face Seoul in normal condition because the team’s main players have exhausted their stamina as starters. It would have been better if they had beaten Bangkok, but they have to play an extreme schedule while mentally exhausted due to the shock loss.
It doesn’t seem easy to control the disorganized atmosphere amid the continued slump. Jeonbuk has been raising concerns both internally and externally that not only its recent performance but also the atmosphere of its players is darkening. Some say that there is a lack of focus under the new head coach, Dan Petrescu.레고토토
If Jeonbuk falls to Final B, it will inevitably have a negative impact on the remaining ACL group stage and the FA Cup. As Jeonbuk has a record that they have never experienced before, they need to find a breakthrough in the game against Seoul in some way.