‘Defending champion’ Ulsan Hyundai has won 6 consecutive wins since the opening, and has a solo system early on. On the other hand, Gangwon FC and Suwon Samsung are struggling with sluggishness, yet to win a win. Jeonbuk Hyundai, which was considered a candidate for the ‘2nd round’, once rebounded by catching Incheon United, but the atmosphere is gloomy.
Ulsan won 2-1 in the home game against Suwon Samsung held in Ulsan on the 8th with Rubikson’s multi-goal and Cho Hyun-woo’s saving show.
After the opening, Ulsan widened the gap with Pohang Steelers (4 wins, 2 draws, 14 points) with 6 consecutive wins (18 points).
Ulsan, on the rise, will challenge for a 7-game winning streak after the opening. Ulsan leaves for Daejeon on the 16th. There are only two teams in the K-League that have recorded seven consecutive victories since the opening: Suwon (1998) and Seongnam Ilhwa (now Seongnam FC, 2003).
Ulsan stands out for its stable air-defense balance. He scored 13 goals in 6 games, ranking second in team scoring behind Daejeon (14 goals), and recording the least number of goals with only 4 goals.
It is also encouraging that freshman Rubikson (4 goals, 1 help) and Joo Min-gyu (3 goals, 1 help) are performing beyond expectations.
On the other hand, Gangwon led by coach Choi Yong-soo and Suwon led by coach Lee Byeong-geun have not won 6 games in a row.
Gangwon is in 11th place with 3 draws and 3 losses (3 points), while Suwon is in 12th place with 2 draws and 4 losses (2 points).
Gangwon is suffering from a serious lack of scoring ability.
It is painful to see that Kim Dae-won, who played the role of an ace last year with 12 goals and 13 assists, is silent, staying with one assist this year. Yang Hyeon-joon, who received the Young Player Award last year by creating a sensation, is showing fighting spirit amidst a fractured nose, but has no offensive points yet. 안전놀이터
Suwon is also sluggish. He gave up 10 goals while scoring 5 goals in 6 matches.
New faces such as Akosti (2 goals) and Kim Kyung-joong (2 goals) are doing their part, but the team’s organization is shaky and even the defense is uneasy, so it is difficult to reap a victory. Recently, there was also a case where fans demanded the resignation of coach Lee Byung-geun after the game.
On the other hand, Jeonbuk, which was in trouble internally and externally, took a breather by winning a 2-0 home game against Incheon on the 9th. However, they are still in 7th place with 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses (7 points), falling short of expectations. It is also regrettable that leading striker Cho Kyu-seong left the team due to a calf muscle injury.
Fans are interested in when Jeonbuk, which walked on a thorny road in the early stages of last year’s ‘Slow Starter’, will be able to rebound this year.