‘Pride of 400,000 spectators’ Seoul vs. Gangwon ‘just a stone’s throw away from relegation’, which team will laugh?
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The final round has begun. FC Seoul, which unfortunately failed to advance to the finals by a narrow margin, meets Gangwon FC, which is fighting relegation.
FC Seoul and Gangwon FC will play the 34th round of ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2023’ at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 2 pm on the 22nd. Seoul, the home team, is in 7th place with 47 points, and Gangwon is in 11th place with 26 points.
# Seoul lacks motivation… Now, Seoul FC has failed to advance to Final A for four consecutive years due to pride issues
. On the 8th, Seoul, which could have advanced to Final A just by drawing, surrendered to Jeonbuk at home. The home fans who gathered in hopes of advancing to Final A could not hide their disappointment. Seoul showed good momentum at the beginning of the season by signing national team striker Hwang Ui-jo on loan at the start of this season, but was unable to maintain that momentum. Manager Ahn Ik-soo, who was unable to break the downward trend that started in July, resigned midway through the team and attempted to rebound under the acting manager Kim Jin-gyu system, but fell to Final B by a narrow margin.
There is not much motivation in Seoul for this match against Gangwon. Seoul, currently ranked 7th with 47 points, is confirmed to remain even if it records all losses in the final round. This is because there is a 16-point gap with 10th-place Suwon FC, who have to worry about relegation during the playoffs.
Seoul, which has no worries about relegation, should aim to finish the season by maintaining 7th place. In the remaining 5 games, we need to check tactics, inspire players, and change the atmosphere for a new leap forward in the next season. Ki Sung-yong, a senior player on the team, left his thoughts on his personal SNS after the game against Jeonbuk, saying, “I think a lot of changes and time are needed to regain the former glory.” He added, “It is a time when we need to set the right goals and make cool-headed judgments,” and expressed his feelings about the need for change.
Now is the time to protect Seoul’s pride beyond the fierce ranking competition. Seoul boasts a club celebrating its 40th anniversary and a fan base with a cumulative audience of 400,000. We can only hope that the remaining five games show a performance commensurate with the size of the club and that there is hope for a new season.
# Will Gangwon be able to escape the relegation zone?
Gangwon has only 4 wins this season. Gangwon, which finished the 2021-22 season in 6th place and recorded its highest ranking since its founding, is nowhere to be seen. Gangwon, currently ranked 11th with 26 points, must engage in a fierce battle to remain. The point differences between 9th place Jeju and 10th place Suwon are 5 and 9 points, respectively. To make matters worse, there is only a 1-point difference with last place Suwon Samsung (25 points). If you make a mistake, you may not even be able to advance to the playoffs. Gangwon needs points more than ever.
Bad news continues for a team in crisis. Gangwon FC’s goalkeeper Kim Jeong-ho was caught drunk driving, and the club eventually took steps to terminate his contract on the 19th. Even though the starting goalkeeper’s position is occupied by Lee Kwang-yeon, fans cannot hide their disappointment at this news, which was delivered right before the team’s survival battle.짱구카지노
Seoul and Gangwon, who meet for the fourth time this year, have a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss based on Gangwon. Since they are sharing the points rather than being ahead of any other team, the difference in rankings between 7th and 11th does not seem to matter much. In addition, although Gangwon is a guest, it is expected that they will be able to play a game with a chance of winning in their home room in Seoul. Currently, Seoul is not showing good performance at home. Surprisingly, Seoul has not won in six home games since the match against Suwon FC in July. In this respect, Gangwon can gain some confidence.
This is the first game of the final round for each team. Regardless of the battle for rankings, Seoul must now put their pride on the line, and Gangwon, where every game is important for their survival. Who will be the team that will take victory?