K리그1・2의 최신 소식을 모두 확인 할 수 있는 공간입니다.
With the 2021 Hana Bank K League 1 campaign is less than a week away, the writers of K League United preview all 12 top flight teams.
It has been a bitter and cold winter for Daegu FC after the fruitful 2020 season when the Sky Blues finished fifth with Asian Champions League playoff spot earned. Familiar faces have left, for example goalkeeper Gu Sung-yun, Dejan Damjanović, and Kim Dae-won. On a positive note, Daegu keep their spine with key assets like Cesinha, Jeong Seung-won, and Jeong Tae-wook and have added some new faces in Mun Kyung-gun, Ahn Yong-woo and Lee Keun-ho.
However, their journey into the season might be a bit bumpy for the first month as it usually takes time to gel together as a team with lots of newcomers and Brazilian striker Edgar da Silva still recovering from surgery back home.
- Jung Muyeol
Gangwon will be looking to record a top-half finish this season having just missed out on Final A and being defeated by Ulsan Hyundai in the FA Cup quarter finals last term. Entering his third full season as Gangwon boss, Kim Byung-soo has been highly active in the winter transfer window, securing the likes of centre-back Rustam Ashurmatov from Gwangju FC and Ishida Masatoshi from Suwon FC.
A newcomer well-known to K League fans is Kim Dae-won, who swaps Daegu FC for Gangwon in 2021. The 24-year-old winger ranked second in K League 1 for through-ball accuracy last season and should link up well with Ko Moo-yeol and Ishida Masatoshi up front.
- Peter Hampshire
- Peter Hampshire
2020: 11th | Manager: Jo Sung-hwan | Home Stadium: Incheon Football Stadium
Heading into the new season Incheon United have strengthen their squad in most areas. Their key pre-season signings look to be foreigners, Australian defender Harrison Delbridge from Melbourne City and Brazilian Winger Negueba from Gyeongnam FC. Both bring in vitally needed experience to the Incheon squad.
The key player for the upcoming season will no doubt be star striker Stefan Mugoša once again. He scored twelve times during an injury hit 2020 season. But when you take into account Incheon were in the relegation battle that’s a healthy goal in every two games return. The probable outcome this season in a bottom half finish, however Incheon can be a surprise package at times, and therefore might be able to push for a mid-table finish this year.
- Tim Barnes
2020: 1st | Manager: Kim Sang-sik | Home Stadium: Jeonju World Cup Stadium
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors head into 2021 after picking up a record-breaking eighth K League title last season in addition to it being an unprecedented fourth in a row. To further underline their successful campaign, they added an FA Cup trophy to claim the first 'double' in the club's history. Having completed his contract, manager José Morais has now moved on and, in his place, former assistant manager Kim Sang-sik takes the reigns. Kim boasts a successful playing career in the K League and for the Korean National Team in addition to having been been a key component of the Jeonbuk backroom staff since 2014 after hanging up his boots. Kim also becomes the first former player to take charge of Jeonbuk. While Kim is yet to manage a side, there is a firm belief from the board and supporters that he can write the next chapter in Jeonbuk's glittering history.
The winter window has been relatively quiet by the club's standards, with the headline inbound transfer being that of striker Stanislav Iljutcenko from Pohang Steelers. Iljutcenko finished second in the Golden Boot race last season, scoring an impressive 19 goals in 16 appearances. However, Jeonbuk were unable to keep hold of reigning K League 1 MVP Son Jun-ho who has made the switch to Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan. Choi Young-jun has returned from loan for Jeonbuk and is set to step into Son's vacated spot in defensive midfield. With minimal changes to the squad, the Green Warriors will be hoping they can make it a fifth consecutive league title come the end of the season.
- Matthew Binns
2020: 3rd | Manager: Kim Gi-dong | Home Stadium: Pohang Steel Yard
Managing to beat both Jeonbuk and Ulsan during the closing stages of last season was a real statement of intent from Kim Gi-dong. However, several of the team’s high-profile names have since departed. Brandon O’Neill departed for Buriram United while Stanislav Iljutchenko and Aleksandar Paločević joining Jeonbuk and FC Seoul respectively in the off-season. Defensive stalwarts Kim Kwang-seok and Ha Chang-rae have moved to Incheon United and Gimcheon Sangmu respectively.
Much will rest on the shoulders of Manuel Palacios, the only remaining foreign player from last season. The Steelers have managed to capture Australian defender Alex Grant and Angola-born Samuel Pungi to shore up their defence. But perhaps the biggest signing has been Shin Jin-ho, who traded one end of the East Coast Derby for the other. Pohang managed to become the best of the rest last season but going one step further this year will be a massive achievement.
- Shibajee Das
2020: 10th | Manager: Kim Nam-il | Home Stadium: Tancheon Sports Complex
The Magpies were able to cling onto their K League 1 status in 2020 thanks to a second-half comeback in the final game of the season. The Tancheon faithful and second year manager, Kim Nam-il, will be hoping that survival is ensured earlier this time around. The loss of 7-goal top scorer Na Sang-ho, for a team that only scored 24 goals in 27 games, made off-season attacking signings a priority.
Fans will be hoping that the arrival of six-foot eight Serbian striker Fejsal Mulić and former Sheffield Wednesday forward Sergiu Buș bring more excitement and celebrations this year - especially as Seongnam failed to score more than two goals in a game throughout their entire 2020 campaign. Other notable arrivals include midfielder Lee Gyu-sung and Austrian defender Richard Windbichler who comes in to replace defensive stalwart Yeon Je-woon. All told there have been 12 transfers into the club, not including loanees returning, and several of these will need to be big hits if Seongnam are to improve on their previous 10th place finish.
- Joey Mellows
After a disappointing 2020 season, things are looking up in the capital thanks to an impressive transfer window. New manager Park Jin-sub kicked off his reign by sealing the acquisition of Nacional’s Aleksandar Paločević, who starred while on loan at Pohang Steelers. The Serbian’s arrival — coupled with the signings of Na Sang-ho from FC Tokyo and winger Park Jung-bin following his departure from Servette — could transform the league’s most goal-shy attack. At the back, Park Jin-sub raided his former club Gwangju for centre-back Hong Joon-ho in an attempt to fix a defence that shipped the second-most number of goals in the league last season.
Seoul’s squad has the talent to push for a return to the ACL. However, Park will need to inject some much-needed confidence into his team, quickly integrate his new signings, and take youngsters like Cho Young-wook to the next level if Seoul are to climb the table. Keeping Ki Sung-yueng and Osmar fit will also prove pivotal in Seoul’s quest for continental qualification.
- Simon Farnsworth
2020: 8th | Manager: Park Kun-ha | Home Stadium: Suwon World Cup Stadium
2020 proved to be a season of transition for Suwon Samsung Bluewings, finding positive results difficult come by until a managerial switch mid-season. Former Bluewings player Park Kun-ha answered the call of his former club to replace the Lee Lim-saeng and quickly setting about righting the ship. Encouraging performances and a first league Super Match win in over five years eventually culminated in a very promising showing in the AFC Champions League where they narrowly missed out on a semi-final berth.
The off-season has unfortunately seen Australian international striker Adam Taggart part ways after two years with the club, making the switch to J.League outfit Cerezo Osaka. Suwon have acted swiftly to replace their talisman attacker, signing Uroš Đerić from K League 2 side Gyeongnam FC in the hope that he can replicate his impressive 2018 form that saw him finish second in the scoring charts. Suwon have also signed former Napoli winger Nicolao Dumitru from Romanian side Gaz Metan to help bolster their attacking options. After finishing a disappointing 8th last season, Suwon will be hoping to bounce back and mount a push for AFC Champions League qualification in the season ahead.
- Matthew Binns
Fresh off the back of a historic promotion that was clinched in dramatic circumstances, Suwon FC make their return to K League 1 after a four-year absence. Managed by second-year head coach Kim Do-kyun, the citizen club have rolled the dice in the off-season, drastically overhauling the playing staff. Former Korean internationals Jeong Dong-ho and Park Joo-ho have joined from Ulsan Hyundai to shore up the defence, complimented by exciting attacking prospects including Han Seung-gyu and Murilo from Jeonbuk. However, if Suwon are to retain their place in the top flight, they will have to make do without last season's top scorer and K League 2 MVP, An Byong-jun.
It has only been a few months since Ulsan Hyundai lifted their second Asian Champions League title in Doha, but the team that starts the 2021 campaign on March 1st will look significantly different to the one that beat Persepolis in the showpiece final last December. The biggest change is in the Horangi dugout where former Korean National Team manager Hong Myung-bo has replaced Kim Do-hoon. Hong has moved swiftly to transition his squad into a more dynamic, youthful group built around the next generation of Korean internationals.
With attacking talents like Lee Dong-gyeong, Lee Dong-jun and Kim Ji-hyun playing in front of sturdy midfielder Won Du-jae, Ulsan are a mouth-watering prospect. Meanwhile, the return of striker Oh Se-hun from military service in the summer will only add to Hong’s enviable options. However, K League watchers are rightfully wondering whether all this re-building will come at the price of a genuine title challenge.
- Dan Croydon
