There are three keywords for Seongnam FC, the coaching system of Lee Ki-hyung.
In December of last year, Seongnam officially announced the appointment of coach Lee Ki-hyung. Coach Lee Ki-hyung, who had been working as a technical committee member in the TSG (Technical Research Group) for a while, will take the helm of Seongnam from the 2023 season.메이저놀이터
It was difficult from the start. In Seongnam, which was relegated from K League 1 last season, key resources such as Park Soo-il, Kim Min-hyuk, Lee Si-young, Kwon Wan-gyu, and Koo Bon-cheol left the team due to transfer or military service. Seongnam brought Yu Joo-an and Jung Han-min on loan, and signed Lee Sang-min and Sim Dong-woon as free agents (FA), but it was undeniable that their power had weakened compared to last season. Here, with about three weeks before the opening, coach Lee Ki-hyung was given the task of making the most of the team’s promotion and the resources it had.
Coach Lee Ki-hyung did not deny that Seongnam is in a difficult situation. Instead, he showed his determination to overcome difficult times by coming together as a team. Coach Lee Ki-hyung, who met at the media camp for winter training in Namhae earlier this month and at the media day of “Hana 1 Q K League 2 2023” held at The-K Hotel in Yangjae-dong on the 21st, compressed the keywords of Seongnam for the 2023 season into three.
In the two interviews, director Lee Ki-hyung emphasized ‘speed’. Precisely, forward pressure and quick turnaround. You need speed to do both. Coach Lee Ki-hyung said at the time of the Namhae field training, “The fans said that they want to play aggressive and speedy soccer even if they lose, so he is building a team with that direction.”
The fast-paced soccer coach Lee Ki-hyung refers to is an aggressive soccer based on strong forward pressure and quick transitions between offense and defense. Even if you don’t lead the game, it’s also a style of football that is enough to harass the opponent. Throughout the interviews conducted at the Winter Field Training Media Camp and K League 2 Media Day, coach Lee Ki-hyung mentioned the words ‘forward pressure’, ‘quick transition of offense and defense’, and ‘speed’, making it clear what Seongnam’s style will be in the 2023 season. told
The players also conducted training focusing on this part according to coach Lee Ki-hyung’s intention. Physical strength is essential to press forward and quickly switch between offense and defense throughout the game. For this reason, Seongnam players started with winter field training in Seongnam and intensive physical training at the same time. Seongnam veterans Shim Dong-woon and Kim Young-kwang, who have been playing pros for over 10 years, also said that it was the most intense training they had ever experienced.
Fortunately, the players accepted coach Lee Ki-hyung’s style well, and coach Lee Ki-hyung expressed his anticipation for the season, saying that he was satisfied with the training results.
Another keyword for Seongnam this season is ‘eagerness’. Seongnam finished at the bottom of the K-League 1 last season, and was automatically relegated without a chance for a promotion playoff. In addition, the team suffered from sluggish performance internally, and had a difficult time externally facing political drafts. This season, Seongnam is trying to unite with earnestness under the goal of promotion.
Seongnam is composed of desperate players from the squad. The majority of Seongnam players were pushed out because they did not receive a chance from another team, or are players who are given a second chance. It is a story about players who are desperate. Coach Lee Ki-hyung said at the time of the Namhae field training, “The current team atmosphere is quite good because the existing players and eager players gathered to form a team. We are preparing for the season with more earnestness than any other team.”
Coach Lee Ki-hyung hoped that the players’ earnestness would be revealed in their performance. Coach Lee Ki-hyung said, “What we can do is to show a desperate look and never give up until the end for the fans who have suffered the pain of relegation. Fans who come to the stadium are overcoming it with earnestness even though they have gone through difficult times regardless of victory or defeat. I want to show that. I want to play football like that so that when fans see it in the stadium, they can think, ‘Seongnam is playing football aggressively with earnestness’.”
One of the essentials of a successful team is that all members share the same philosophy. It is also important to build solidarity within the team. Coach Lee Ki-hyeong also emphasized that all players must become one team in order for Seongnam to achieve their goal of promotion.
Coach Lee Ki-hyung said, “I wonder how far the team can go. There are many players who cannot be called the best members of other teams. I always emphasize that we have to unite and overcome. These aspects were well conveyed to the players, and I think they overcame the training well thanks to that. If everyone exerts a synergistic effect, good performances and results will come out,” said Seongnam. We hoped that working together would yield good results.
This is also essential to realize the style of Seongnam that coach Lee Ki-hyung wants. As mentioned earlier, coach Lee Ki-hyung is trying to play the season based on forward pressure that requires stamina and quick switching between offense and defense. The style that requires physical strength inevitably puts a physical burden on the players as the season progresses.
Director Lee Ki-hyung’s ‘Plan B’ was nothing else. Coach Lee Ki-hyung’s plan was to make sure that any player could play the same style of soccer. Coach Lee Ki-hyeong said, “When a player’s stamina is low, the team is run to such an extent that it is not noticeable even if another player enters. He said that if the players share the same philosophy and prepare, they will be able to solve the physical fitness problem.
Of course, everything is known only when the lid is opened. Seongnam, which starts as a new team under manager Lee Ki-hyung, may have a difficult season or become a team aiming for promotion after only one season. Seongnam’s first match as a new team will be held on March 1st.