Lowest Jeonbuk Coach Petrescu “I finished the ranking with an unsuitable spirit.”
Kim Hak-beom, head coach of Jeju United.
Jeonbuk Hyundai's coach Dan Petrescu, who had already fallen to 12th place, the lowest place in K League 1, is determined to overcome the crisis with strong mental strength.
Jeonbuk will play the 5th round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 against Jeju United at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju at 7:30 pm on the 3rd.
Jeonbuk fell to the bottom of the league, failing to achieve a single win in the previous four games with 3 draws and 1 loss (3 points). It is an awkward ranking considering Jeonbuk, which created a ‘dynasty’ by winning five consecutive K-League 1 titles from 2017 to 2021.
Ahead of the Jeju match, Coach Petrescu said, “We have only played 4 games, but our ranking does not suit Jeonbuk. “The players all feel the same way,” he said, adding, “The players are mentally strong.”
He then said, “I ordered two things from the players,” and advised them not to feel pressured because “the burden will be on me.” He also emphasized that we should reduce mistakes as much as possible,” he added.
Jeonbuk is showing poor performance this season, but is ahead in their record against Jeju last season with 4 wins and 1 draw. This is a record that allows players to play the game with confidence.
However, Coach Petrescu said, “Numbers are just numbers,” and added, “In soccer, the present and the future are important. “Past records don’t mean much,” he said. While Jeonbuk is ahead in the opponent's record, Jeju Island has suffered two recent losses in a row, and the atmosphere is not good as they remain in 10th place with 1 win, 1 draw, and 2 losses (4 points) this season. Coach Petrescu said, “I am concerned that Jeju will have stronger motivation after losing to the Pohang Steelers earlier. “Jeju has not been in a good mood recently, but they played a good game against Pohang,” he said. “There is no team in a worse mood than Jeonbuk.” “I will deal with it with utmost care,” he said. Jeju coach Kim Hak-beom, who is facing Jeonbuk, is not at ease. Coach Kim said, “No matter how bad the atmosphere in Jeonbuk is, if you look at the members, they are powerful. In the previous match against Ulsan HD, the game that had been tied 0-2 was turned into a 2-2 draw. If we did well, a reversal was possible. “The spirit behind us is strong,” he said. “Because it is early in the season, the rankings are not very meaningful yet. He was wary of Jeonbuk, saying, “Depending on the results of 2-3 games, we could easily jump to the top rankings.” However, coach Kim Hak-beom has no intention of backing down. Coach Kim said, “It won’t be easy against Jeonbuk, but we will try to take advantage of the home game. It takes some time to show the performance you want, but it is important to gain confidence. “I will try to find the performance I want early on,” he said. 토토