Jeju United is on the verge of two important away matches.
Jeju, led by coach Nam Ki-il, recorded 메이저놀이터 a 0-0 draw against Gwangju FC in the 21st round of the ‘Hana 1 Q K League 1 2023’ held at Jeju World Cup Stadium on the 11th. Jeju got out of its 2-game losing streak, but could not break the 7 match winless tie (3 draws and 4 losses). Jeju’s latest league victory was against Suwon Samsung (2-1 win) on May 27th.
The ranking, which was fighting for second place, also came down to the middle rank. Above all, the score is not broken. Jeju has 4 goals in the last 6 matches. During this period, there were 2 games without a goal. He has not scored multiple goals since the match against Gangwon FC (2-2 draw) on the 3rd of last month.
Foreign attacking duo Yuri Jonatan (6 goals) and Hayes (5 goals) are struggling, but the two are not enough. Seo Jin-soo (5 goals), who led Jeju’s uptrend, has been silent for 7 consecutive games, and the sluggish performance of Kim Ju-gong (1 goal) is also painful. Coach Nam said, “The players will not have any desire not to include it. There is a small figure at the door. We have to share it with the players and solve it well.”
On top of that, Jeju is putting a lot of pressure on midfielders Kim Bong-soo and Lee Ki-hyeok. Koo Ja-cheol’s return was delayed, and Han Jong-moo was unable to settle down. Director Nam tried to ease the burden by arranging various resources such as Kim Joo-gong and Lee Ju-yong in the center rather than the side, but it is not easy. In line with this, Jeju is considering reinforcing midfielders in the transfer market. We are looking for midfielder resources both at home and abroad. The priority is a style with passing ability that will fill the void left by Lee Chang-min.
The schedule ahead is not too tough. Jeju, who finished their 2 home games with 1 draw and 1 loss, will immediately start a 2-game away game from Pohang Steelers to Ulsan Hyundai. Ulsan and Pohang are the 1st and 2nd teams. Ulsan has a solo system and is running in the lead that is unlikely to lose. Pohang is demonstrating its potential to keep winning points despite the departure of its main players from injuries.
Jeju has a record of 1 win and 1 loss against Pohang this season. Ulsan lost both times in the league, and won the victory after a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup. It’s definitely not an easy schedule. It’s a crisis, but it can be an ‘opportunity’ if we pass the 2nd consecutive game well. Jeju clearly showed through its undefeated streak in May that it is scary to ride the atmosphere and flow once. Director Nam said, “We brought the current crisis on ourselves. So we can solve it. We will overcome this crisis by enduring well.”