Jeju United’s ‘summer jinx’ continued this season. In order to advance to the Asian Champions League (ACL), which is the goal, a miraculous rebound is desperately needed in the remaining four consecutive games.
Jeju, who had recorded 2 draws and 3 losses in the first 5 games of the league, caused a sensation after the 5th round match against Ulsan. Starting with the 6R match against Gangwon, the team recorded 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 10 games, and the team ranking, which had been in the relegation zone, rose sharply to 2nd place. During this period, they defeated Gwangju, Daejeon, Pohang, Incheon, and Suwon FC in succession, tying the record for the club’s longest winning streak.
But as summer began, Jeju began to lose its strength. On June 3rd, they recorded a draw against Gangwon, the lowest ranked team in the league, and have not achieved a win in 10 games. Although they barely won against Suwon FC, they recorded 1 win, 5 draws, and 8 losses between June and August. The team ranking also fell straight from 2nd to 9th.
Jeju has traditionally been weak in summer. The ‘summer jinx’, where the team fights for the lead until the early and mid-season and then falls in the rankings in the summer, has been a problem for Jeju every year. According to the ‘K-League 1 historical July and August performance comparison’ announced by the Korea Professional Football League on the 1st of last month, Jeju’s performance in July and August fell by 6.8% points compared to before July. Jeju’s winning rate before July/August was 52.4% (56 wins, 42 draws, 49 losses), but the winning rate in July/August was 45.6% (26 wins, 30 draws, 34 losses). This is the largest decline among K League teams.
Jeju’s summer jinx is largely due to the accumulation of fatigue caused by long travel distances. It takes a long distance and a long time to travel to an away game, and it takes an hour just to travel from the Seogwipo clubhouse to Jeju Airport to catch a plane. Also, even if you arrive at airports such as Gimpo, Gwangju, and Cheongju, it takes a lot of time to get to the stadium where the away game is held.
Jeju’s weather, which is much more humid than inland, also plays a role. Players playing in Jeju in the middle of summer say it feels like playing soccer in a sauna. The federation also explained that Jeju is weak in the summer, saying, “The influence of the weather and fatigue from the expedition seem to be increasing.”
However, as the long summer comes to an end, Jeju is aiming for a dramatic rebound. During the two-week international break, we focused on improving the individual condition of players who were tired from the tight schedule and strengthening their teamwork through customized training and practice games. Jeju, which has played up to 29 rounds, is ranked 9th out of 12 teams in K League 1 with 9 wins, 8 draws, and 12 losses (35 points), but a turnaround is not impossible.소닉카지노
K League 1 divides the top 6 teams into Group A and the bottom 6 teams into Group B based on the results of matches from 1 to 33R (regular rounds). Each group will play five more games from 34 to 38R (final round), with the winning team from Group A and the relegated team from Group B.
In order to advance to the ACL, which is Jeju’s goal, they must advance to the Final A group. The winning point gap with 6th place Daegu (41 points), which is the Final A Maginot Line, is 6 points. Jeju, which has four games left until the end of the regular round, will face Incheon (7th) on the 16th, followed by Seoul (4th), Gwangju (3rd), and Daejeon (8th).
All four teams are ranked higher than Jeju, so it is expected to be a difficult match. However, since the point difference is not large, there is always an opportunity to improve the ranking depending on the results of each game. This season, Jeju has won points in all four matches against the teams and has won against Incheon, Gwangju, and Daejeon, so positive results are expected.
The current atmosphere in Jeju is not bad. In the game against Jeonbuk (5th place) on the 3rd, they earned 1 point with an impressive performance. Koo Ja-cheol, who missed more than three months due to injury, made his return as a substitute, and Seo Jin-soo, who led Jeju’s sensation early in the season, has also shown notable movement in recent games.
Koo Ja-cheol, the team’s veteran and leader, said, “It’s a difficult situation, but we have to keep overcoming it. I will do my best with the determination that each game will be the final. “During the break, all Jeju members came together as one,” he said.
Striker Seo Jin-soo also said, “The atmosphere is good as we are united as one,” and expressed his determination, “We will definitely win the remaining games with the belief that we will advance to Final A.”