Jeju United (hereafter referred to as Jeju), backed by the fans’ hot support, is determined to give them their first home victory of the season against the Pohang Steelers.
Jeju will clash with Pohang in the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 round 11 home game held at Jeju World Cup Stadium on May 6 (Sat) at 2:00 pm. Jeju has recently won 5 consecutive away wins (4 consecutive away wins in the league), including the FA Cup, and secured 4 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses and 14 points, rising to 5th place in the league. In order for the gust from Jeju to become stronger, shouts of victory must be heard from ‘Wind Force’ (Jeju World Cup Stadium).
This season,크크크벳 Jeju is running at the top of the away record with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss with 13 points, but it is sluggish at home with 1 draw and 3 losses. Since the match against Suwon Samsung (1-2 loss) on August 20 last year, they have recorded 10 consecutive home games without a win (3 draws, 7 losses). In order to gain an edge in the fierce ranking competition, winning home games is not an option, but a must. For the sake of the orange cheers that are more intense than ever, we have to take a period of victory.
Jeju averaged 8,155 spectators per game in its four home games this season. In particular, a whopping 10,041 spectators gathered in Jeonbuk on April 23rd (Sunday). This is the highest number of spectators since counting paid spectators in 2018. This is an amazing figure considering that there were no admissions for 10,000 spectators after the policy of abolishing free tickets in 2017. As the match against Pohang on this day is held in May, the month of family, and the Children’s Day holiday, the players are determined not to send the game back to the fans empty-handed.
It can be a burden, but coach Nam Ki-il is warming up for victory with meticulous mental care. In the meantime, I listened to the concerns of the players who had been too motivated in home games, which rather led to a decline in performance, and solidified teamwork. Coach Nam Ki-il said, “I think I started to feel like I was being chased by the players because I couldn’t keep winning. I had a lot of conversations with the players so that I could take the design of victory calmly with more confidence, backed by the fans’ hot support.” .
In addition, Kim Oh-kyu, who was selected as the Man of the Match (MOM) for the winning goal in the last match against Daejeon and fills the void of captain Choi Young-joon by taking care of the team’s unity, said, “I think there is the power of words and the power of thoughts. Our squad I believe that I will win, and I will prepare with that thought, so I hope the fans will believe in me and come to support me a lot.”
Against Pohang, the psychological advantage was also preoccupied. Jeju is overwhelming Pohang with 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in the last 5 matches. Last season, they took the lead with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. The opponent who recently won the last home game was also Pohang. On August 14 last year, in a home game against Pohang, Kim Joo-gong assisted a hat-trick to win 5-0. The recent atmosphere is also contradictory. While Pohang had a power vacuum due to injuries and dismissal penalties, Jeju recently gained a sense of stability in tactical operation as injured players added to their power one after another.
The weather, the biggest variable, is also likely to improve on the day of the game. From the dawn of May 4th (Thursday), the rain spread across the country, starting with Jeju Island and the Jeonnam coast, and heavy rain and strong winds are expected nationwide until May 5th (Friday). However, on the day of the match, it seems that it will rain only until dawn, and there is no rain forecast based on kick-off time (2:00 pm), and the sensed temperature is expected to regain a sense of stability at 22℃.
Coach Nam Ki-il said, “Pohang was not an easy opponent. But I believe in the players. I feel that the team has become stronger after overcoming all the difficult away roads. “I don’t want to wait. I will do my best to prepare for the orange cheers to return as an echo of victory. The weather during the Children’s Day holiday is not good, but I hope it will be good on the day of the game. I ask for a lot of support from the fans.”