11th place Gangwon and 2 points… ‘Byungsoo Ball’ A small ‘light of hope’ starting to enter Suwon

A small but ‘light of hope’ is beginning to shine in Suwon Samsung.

Suwon, led by coach Kim Byung-soo, won 2-0 in an away game against Gangwon FC in the 13th round of the ‘Hanawon Q K League 1 2023’ held at the main stadium in Chuncheon Songam Sports Town on the 13th. Suwon (8 points), who took 3 points, narrowed the gap with 11th place Gangwon (10 points) to 2 points. The bottom exodus is also starting to show.

Suwon, who lost 0-3 to Jeonbuk Hyundai in their first game after coach Kim took office, took three precious points from the away game without losing in a row. Director Kim, who was appointed as a ‘firefighter’ amidst the extreme sluggishness of Suwon, is not seeking a major change right away. Instead, he seems to focus on raising the atmosphere of the team through praise rather than reprimand. In other words, raising the morale of안전놀이터 players who are psychologically shrunk is considered a top priority.

For Suwon, Han Ho-gang started a sortie in place of Bultuis, a defender who was sent off in the match against Jeonbuk that day. Han Ho-gang responded to the trust by scoring the opening goal in the 33rd minute of the first half. Playing coach Yeom Ki-hoon also did his part in the offense and defense until he was replaced by Lee Jong-seong in the 26th minute of the second half.

Above all, it is nice to see striker Ahn Byung-joon scoring. Ahn Byeong-jun, who scored 7 goals in 18 matches after moving to Suwon last summer, has not scored a single goal in 12 matches this season. He was a frontline striker, but it seemed that the zeroing was not properly adjusted. He felt a sense of responsibility and pressure to fill the position left by Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic). And in the end, he opened the door with a powerful mid-range shot in 13 games against Gangwon. Ahn Byeong-jun showed tears as he approached the away cheering seat after scoring.

After taking over as manager Kim, we have now played two games. It’s too early to rejoice. There is still a long way to go. Suwon faces leader Ulsan Hyundai in the 14th round and goes on an expedition to Jeju United. In the meantime, Daegu FC and Korea Football Association (FA) Cup round of 16 will also be played. It is clear that it is a tight series in Suwon, where there are quite a few injured players.

Also, since coach Kim took office not long ago, there is not enough physical time to make major changes yet. It is also premature to melt director Kim’s unique philosophy and color. You have to survive as long as possible to earn points. Even so, Suwon saw a small hope.