As K League 2 finished the match on the 17th, all of them finished the 3rd round of the 4th round robin. Depending on the team, some teams played 28-29 games due to postponed matches due to COVID-19, but if it was normal, they had to finish 30 games each.
Gyeongnam played a total of 29 games as one match was postponed due to Seoul E-Land’s selection of a player from the East Asian Cup national team.
Gyeongnam, which won 2-1 in the 33rd round of Hana OneQ K League 2 2022 against Daejeon Hana Citizen on the 17th, climbed to fifth place in the league with 11 wins, 8 draws, 10 losses, and 41 points. Chungnam Asan, who had previously placed 5th by one point difference, lost to Gimpo FC on the 17th and failed to secure a point.
In the third round of Gyeongnam, Robin seemed to ride a roller coaster from hell to heaven, but in terms of performance, he did well. Excluding the postponed match against Seoul E, they had 5 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses in 9 matches.
The reason why Gyeongnam’s performance exceeded our expectations is because Willian and Hernandez, who were the main players in Gyeongnam and the core of the ‘Brazilian Triangle,’ left for another team in the summer, and even Thiago was psychologically atrophied and shaken.
In the 23rd round against Gwangju FC, Thiago scored a goal together with Hernandez, who played in the last game before the transfer, but was sluggish in three consecutive games for a month after that. Although he suffered from the opponent’s concentration check, the chaos following the transfer of two teammates who ate in one pot had a big impact. In particular, Thiago’s concerns were deep as they were looking to sign Thiago in the K-League 1 during this time.
However, Gyeongnam pushed for a new contract to win Thiago’s heart, and on July 26, when discussions were in the final stages, Thiago scored multiple goals in a match against Ansan Greeners and settled into the team. The Gyeongnam club announced the renewal of the contract with Thiago the next day.
While Thiago was silent, local players from Gyeongnam played a big role. Go Kyung-min, Mo Jae-hyeon, Won Ki-jong, Kim Young-chan, and Lee Min-ki took turns scoring 16 points in 9 matches.
Gyeongnam’s 3 losses are disappointing as it was against Chungnam Asan, Bucheon FC 1995, and FC Anyang, which were ranked higher than Gyeongnam. This is because the points earned against the upper team are twice as effective as the three points gained against the lower team.
During this period, Gyeongnam allowed 12 runs and failed to overcome chronic defensive anxiety. In particular, except for the 26th round against Busan I-Park, they conceded goals in all matches. In particular, in the match against Bucheon and Anyang, they each allowed three runs, causing defeat.
There are 11 games remaining in Gyeongnam. They will also have to play against Seoul E, which has been delayed in 10 rounds of robin matches. So far, Gyeongnam has the most consecutive record of 2 wins and 2 losses in a row. The immediate task is to increase the number of consecutive wins for Gyeongnam, which has recently won two consecutive victories by beating Gimpo FC and Daejeon one after another. To do that, it is important to relieve the defensive anxiety.
Coach Seol Ki-hyun met with reporters before the match on the 17th and said, “I believe that offensive power can score at any time, but we cannot move up to a higher ranking without resolving the defensive anxiety.” .
Gyeongnam, who will take a break from round 34, the start of the 4th round robin, will take a break until the home game against Ansan Greeners on the 28th. It is expected that he will find the key to ascending the rankings in the future as he has time to reinforcing the lost stamina and refining his defensive tactics.
Meanwhile, Gyeongnam entered the playoffs with 8 points behind 4th place Bucheon, 9 points with 3rd place Jaejeon, and 11 points behind 2nd place Anyang. Depending on the 4th round robin performance, you can aim for up to 2nd place. 1st place Gwangju FC is 22 points ahead of Gyeongnam with 63 points, so it is difficult to aim for first place immediately to be promoted to the first division.
/ Reporter Jeong Seong-in
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