Gwangju head coach Lee Jung-hyo has clarified his controversial ‘manner ball’ comments.
Lee made comments about the ‘manner ball’ during the home game against Ulsan on the 2nd and away game against Gangwon on the 7th. After the game against Gangwon, he said, “I tried to delay time (in Gangwon). I don’t think it’s a professional attitude. I don’t want them to expect mannerisms from us in the future,” he said. Public opinion reacted hotly. Some criticised the delay, others cheered Lee, who is known as “K-Mourinho” for expressing his feelings honestly, while others asked how to explain the fact that Gwangju goalkeeper Lee Jun was warned for delaying the game.
카지노In a pre-match interview for the 22nd round of the ‘Hana OneQ K League 1 2023’ against Gwangju at Jeju World Cup Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on 11 November, Lee said, “I saw the article that was posted a little while ago. I think it missed the point. I’m saying this because I want things to change, but it’s a witch hunt,” he said.
“If you get a big injury or go down, obviously you have to put the ball out. But there are players who go down pretending to be sick, and then they go out of bounds, get a drink of water, go back in and play again. They try to cheat, they try to delay. This has to stop. You have to stick to the basics. When we were training referees, we talked about ‘too little playing time’. I’m going to aim for that (more playing time) and follow suit.”
On the incident between Gangwon midfielder Alibayev and the Gwangju coach during the match, he said, “Alibayev was swearing in Korean. At 0-0, I felt like he was stalling, so I strongly urged him to stop,” he recalled. As for Lee Jun’s warning for delay of game, he wondered if it was given too soon. “He doesn’t like to be warned,” he added.
“I didn’t think it was a big comment this time,” said Lee, who earlier in the season called FC Seoul “a team that plays that kind of football. “I didn’t think it was a big statement this time, but what can I do. I’m going to continue with this character,” Lee laughed.Lee used Thomas and Heo Yul as the two up top in a 4-4-2 formation. Jeong Jeong-hoon, Lee Soon-min, Jeong Ho-yeon and Asani make up the midfield, while Lee Min-ki, Ahn Young-gyu, Timo and Doo Hyun-seok form the back four. Goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min will make his return from injury. New signings Bekka, Lee Hee-gyun, Lee Kang-hyun, Kim Han-gil and others are waiting to be called up.
“I thought it was just my shoulder against Ulsan, but they said my hamstring was bad too. I prepared for the Jeju game, but they said it was unlikely. It’s frustrating,” he said.
Regarding striker Becca, who joined the team this summer and was included in the roster for the first time, he said, “She has the ability. I was going to use her against Gangwon, but I made her train more for the team and herself. I’m thinking of putting her in for about 20 minutes in the second half today,” he said of her debut.
In response, Jeju coach Nam Ki-il said, “I’ve seen the article,” but reserved his words, saying, “As you know now, I can’t think of any other team.”
Nam, who called the recent run of six consecutive games without a win a “second crisis,” said, “Our performance is getting better. However, the lack of goals puts pressure on the defence,” he said, adding that the team’s performance will only improve if it revives its attacking prowess.
“I hope today’s game will be like that,” he said, recalling the team’s eight-match unbeaten run after beating Gwangju in April. “The winner will go uphill,” Lee said.
Nam lost Choi Young-jun (long-term injury), Lee Chang-min (enlistment) and Koo Ja-cheol (injury) during the season. The midfield is not easy to manage. “That’s why we’re considering signing a new player. We want to sign either a Japanese or Korean player. Not Shibasaki (Gaku), who has been mentioned recently,” he emphasised.
Jeju and Gwangju are tied on 29 points. Jeju, which has a two-goal advantage on goal difference, is seventh and Gwangju is eighth.