Ulsan Hyundai head coach Hong Myung-bo responded to the media’s criticism of his starting lineup against Daejeon Hana Citizens, saying it was a decision made for the good of the team.
Ulsan, coached by Hong, will face Daejeon Hana in the 30th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 at Munsuzuk Stadium in Ulsan. For the match against Daejeon Hana, Hong decided to leave out a number of players who have returned from international duty. It was a surprising decision, as it was a lineup that hadn’t been seen in Ulsan’s previous matches.
When speaking to the media before the game, Hong responded to the criticism of the unconventional lineup by asking, “Why?” When asked if he was thinking about the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League match against Fatum Thani United, he replied, “No, I wasn’t.”
“We thought about the fatigue of the players who played for the national team, but it was a decision for the players who stayed with the team and trained hard during the A-League break,” Hong explained. “It’s not good for the team to go out and play as if it’s their place as soon as they come back,” he said. “So far, we’ve started most of them from the bench in the games right after the A-Match break, except for Cho Hyun-woo. Today’s game will be no different.”
Hong expected his players to give their best. “I asked them to play as a team,” Hong said. “I wanted them to play as a team,” he said, adding, “I started (Kim) Ji-hyun and thought about playing a two-top with Lee In-gyu rather than a one-top. It’s also important how much Cho Hyun-taek does, whether it’s at the back or at the back three,” he said, pointing out the main point.
As for Seol Young-woo, who has been out of the national team for a long time, he said, “I’m still thinking about it.” “We have (Kim) Tae-hwan, and Rubik’s Cube can play there,” Hong said. We have to do this until Oct. 8.”
As for the appointment of Kim Ki-hee and Lee In-jong-kyu as captain and vice-captain, respectively, ahead of the match against Daejeon Hana, Hong explained that the decision was made in view of the AFC Champions League, which is played during the Chuseok Festival.먹튀검증
“The AFC Champions League season is starting,” Hong said. It’s not the end of the season like in the past, but a new beginning, so we changed the captains to change the atmosphere,” said Hong.
In terms of the AFC Champions League, which is played during the Chinese New Year, Hong said, “It’s all about Middle Eastern soccer,” and added, “There’s not much rest for the players anymore. At most, they have three or four weeks to rest and prepare. So I think it’s a difficult situation, but I think we have to be smart about it. I also think that the number of athletes should be higher than it is now. Anyway, it’s not something we can change,” he said.