Ben Somerford
Ten rounds into the 2009 Korean K-League, reigning champions Suwon Bluewings are languishing down in 13th in the table, with only goal difference separating them from the indignity of bottom spot. It has been quite some turnaround for Korea’s best supported club, who only dropped points in nine games in last year’s championship-winning campaign, yet have somehow already equalled that tally this term.
Indeed, after ten matches the four-time Korean champions have won just once this league season and are a whopping 16 points behind current leaders Gwangju Sangmu. And while the question many are asking is ‘what has happened to the Suwon Bluewings?’ many Korean fans are instead asking ‘who is going to claim their title?’ With the K-League about to enjoy a break for international matches, Korean fans have been devoting time to answering those questions.
Suwon, the four-time K-League winners who brushed aside all their opponents last season to claim both the league and playoff titles have faltered badly, so just what has gone wrong?
The obvious statistic which anyone can point out is that Suwon scored 46 goals in 26 games last season, yet so far this campaign they’ve managed just six from 10 matches. So there’s a shortage of goals, but why?
The club’s topscorer last season, Brazilian hitman Edu, remains at the club and at 27 years-old the former Bundesliga man still seems to have the quality to produce the goods. Edu has managed two goals so far in the K-League combined with a few more in the AFC Champions League, so he surely can’t be the reason. Suwon's problem is more deeply-rooted than just one man’s form or someone leaving the club or something simple of that nature.
It must be noted, Suwon experienced a fairly up and down off-season, and with that in mind Korean fans expected 2008 to be a hard act to follow, but not many thought it would be quite this tough. The off-season ups-and-downs came mainly from the transfer drama involving holding midfielder Cho Won-Hee. Won-Hee left the club as a free agent at the end of the 2008 K-League campaign before finding his way to Wigan Athletic following a peculiar trial at Monaco and some speculation about a move to Schalke 04.
There were also inevitable departures including that of brilliant young Korean international forward Shin Young-Rok, who moved to Turkish club Bursaspor. Combine that with the loss of central defensive pairing Mato Neretljak and Lee Jung-Soo, who both left for the J.League, and it is obvious Suwon had some stars to replace.
Bluewings manager Cha Beum-Kim was busy in the off-season trying to get new faces in too, including highly-rated midfielder Lee Sang-Ho from Ulsan Horang, Chinese international defender Li Weifeng and Brazilian big-man Jorge Luiz, who Suwon hoped would form their new central defensive partnership.
And while some of the new players have settled in okay, it seems replacing the departed players is easier said than done. In addition Suwon’s young stars, such as Cho Yong-Tae and Seo Dong-Hyun, are struggling to have the same impact as last season and the pressure may be getting to them, as the side have lost four times at their home stadium ‘the Big Bird’.
There has also been the added distraction of the newly-revised AFC Champions League, which has meant Cha Beum-Kim has used slightly weaker sides than usual on occasions, in particular against newboys Gangwon FC in early May when the champions surprisingly drew 1-1. All these factors seem to be getting to Suwon, who even saw experienced Korean international goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae make a costly mistake against last season’s runners-up FC Seoul, in a 1-0 loss in early April.
There have been missed penalties too, shots hitting the woodwork and all sorts of bad pieces of luck, which perhaps suggests the tide may turn for Suwon. And when the club has the quality of the likes of Edu and Lee Woon-Jae, it would be crazy to write off at least a playoffs spot for the Bluewings, but winning the title might be a bit rich after such a bad start.
If Suwon can’t win the K-League, then who can?
The team putting their hands up like an eager school child are 2006 AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Motors. Incredibly, the powerful Jeonju club have never won the K-League and look desperate to end the drought.
Jeonbuk recruited well in the off-season, after a disappointing 2008 where they scraped into the finals only to lose out to Ulsan in the second round of the playoffs. Tough decisions were made at Jeonju Castle with big names like Cho Jae-Jin, Jusuf Dajic, Kang Min-Soo and Chung Kyung-Ho all moved on, in favour of new stars like Brazilian midfielder Eninho, former Middlesbrough forward Lee Dong-Gook and young Korean star Ha Dae-Sung, along with new captain Kim Sang-Sik who arrived from Seongnam Ilhwa.
And while Eninho is pure quality and Lee Dong-Gook seems determined to resurrect his faltering career, it has been the rise and rise of ‘The Prince’, Choi Tae-Uk, which has really sparked Jeonbuk’s push. Choi Tae-Uk, 28, has hit five goals this season and his fine form has won him a recall to the Korean national team, his first in three years.
It is frightening to think what damage Jeonbuk can do, especially when considering their free-kick superstar Kim Hyueng-Bum hasn’t really got going this season.
But Jeonbuk boss Choi Kang-Hee is the man behind it all, with wise recruiting, a knowledge of how to get the best out of players and the ability to create a solid backline. It seems the Greens might be ready to finally claim a K-League title.
Perhaps those in the capital might argue otherwise though, as 2008 runners-up FC Seoul continue their own chase for their first K-League title in almost a decade.
With Turkish boss Şenol Güneş at the helm, FC Seoul are in good hands, even if speculation has persistently suggested that the manager could return home to coach Trabzonspor soon.
Güneş heading to Trabzonspor could be decisive for FC Seoul, who have seen several of their young stars blossom under the Turkish boss.
Seoul’s young midfield pairing of Lee Chung-Yong and Ki Sung-Yeung, affectionately known as ‘Double Dragon’, both just 20 years old, are the players who could guide the capital club to the top along with exciting Korean internationals Kim Chi-Woo and Han Tae-You. Montenegro international Dejan Damjanovic is a goalscoring machine, so as long as Seoul’s youthful midfield keep up the supply they should be fine.
Hence the main concern really is Güneş’s future. The club experienced a fairly calm Christmas period with no major squad changes and everything at FC Seoul under the Turkish boss seems under control. Whether or not he stays is the key for the capital club.
Another contender this season is west-coast club Incheon United, who are led by another foreigner in Serbian boss Ilija Petkovic. Having frustratingly missed the playoffs in 2008, Incheon are determined to make amends this season and with a game built on a strong defence, they look good enough to challenge.
But while Incheon don’t concede many goals, but don’t score many down the other end either, so coming into this season following the departure of 2008 topscorer Dzenan Radoncic to Seongnam, many would have suggested a lot depends on new big signing Dragan Cadikovski, the Macedonian striker. But instead the club's source of goals has been a surprise, with 21-year-old Yoo Byung-Soo proving a real revelation.
The youngster, who Incheon drafted from Hongik University in the off-season, scored on his debut against Busan I’Park and has added several more before earning an incredible call-up to the national team. This alternative potent attacking option is just what Incheon need and if Yoo Byung-Soo can keep up his impressive form, then Petkovic’s side could be in with a chance of the title.
Shocks and surprises seem to be the theme this season in Korea, with Suwon struggling and so many players coming from nowhere to produce fine form, but there surely is no bigger surprise than the fact last season’s bottom-club Gwangju Sangmu are leading the league at this stage. After a good start to the season, everybody has been waiting for the military club’s bubble to burst, but it hasn’t.
Outstanding home form coupled with a solid defence has stood Gwangju in good stead, with Choi Won-Kwon leading the way at the back. The form of Choi Sung-Kuk, the man dubbed ‘Little Maradona’, along with fellow forward Kim Myung-Joong, has also given the Phoenix something a little bit special.
Gwangju manager Lee Kang-Jo still claims he is simply aiming to make the playoffs, with the K-League title perhaps a dream for the perennial battlers, and his main concerns are based on the depth of his squad with the team seeming a little short of forward options.
Beyond those clubs there are other contenders including Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma who are struggling a bit for consistency at the moment under rookie coach Shin Tae-Yong. Australian defender Sasa Ognenovski seems a good addition for Chunma, while keeping Brazilian striker Mota is a big plus.
In 2007, Pohang Steelers came from nowhere to win the playoff championship and despite a slow start to this season, riddled by home draws, the boys from the Steelyard shouldn’t be written off. Pohang’s main off-season signing Brasilia, is yet to really hit his stride so maybe there is more in store from the Steelers.
Last season’s bolters Ulsan Horang may produce another late surge this season, but their squad seems weaker this season and probably won’t challenge for the title.
Chunnam Dragons could be a dark-horse as they seem to have plenty of strike-power with Brazilian striker Adriano Chuva Pereira, ex-Sociedad and Feyenoord man Lee Chun-Soo and another Brazilian, Wesley, who was scoring goals for fun in Portugal with Leixoes last year. The problem for the Dragons is their defence, as they have conceded the most in the league so far.
Nevertheless, with a third of the 2009 K-League season complete, it seems perhaps there will be a new name on the championship trophy come the end of the campaign. But quite often the K-League throws up a bolter, a club who make a late surge, as the season wears on, so it would be foolish to make predictions at this stage.
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