Jeonbuk Hyundai is in danger.
Jeonbuk, led by head coach Kim Doo-hyun, lost 0-1 to Jeju United in the 35th round of “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” at Jeju World Cup Stadium on the 27th. It lost three consecutive games and two final rounds, failing to escape the relegation zone. It played a lethargic game in which it failed to score a goal in those two games.
Furthermore, Jeonbuk (37 points) has narrowed its gap to two points with Incheon United (35 points), the lowest ranking team that won on the same day. Jeonbuk is on the verge of falling to the lowest rank due to a single game. The lowest ranking team will be directly demoted to the K League 2 (division 2).
Above all, Jeonbuk will face Incheon in the 36th round. It will be held at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonbuk’s home. If Jeonbuk wins, it widens the gap to five points again with two more games to go, but if it loses to Incheon, it will fall to the bottom and fall into an irreversible atmosphere. 메이저놀이터
Jeonbuk is the No. 1 player’s labor cost based on the Korea Professional Football Association in 2023. It spent nearly 20 billion won on players’ labor costs. It is the largest expenditure in the K League 1. The figure is more than three times that of Gwangju FC, which used the least. Since transfer fees are not included, the expenditure will rise further.
Jeonbuk has brought in Lee Seung-woo, Jeon Jin-woo, Han Kook-young, and Andrigo this summer alone as well. It includes trade, but it certainly spent a considerable amount of money. It spent a considerable amount of money on transfer.
Despite this, Jeonbuk has been sitting at the bottom of the list throughout this season. However, the situation has not changed much since Petrescu stepped down and Kim took the helm. Since Kim’s inauguration, the team has had poor winning rate with six wins, five draws and 10 losses. It is also useless to divide teams that play in the AFC Champions League (ALC 2) into two teams.
Furthermore, Jeonbuk has no experience in staying or elevating. It is also the first time that the team has failed to advance to the Final B since its foundation. The competition for elevation is subject to pressures and burdens that are different from the competition for championship. Some players, such as Lee Young-jae and Lee Seung-woo, had experience in the promotion playoff at Suwon FC last season, but overall, they have no experience in elevation.
On the contrary, Incheon has survived several relegation competitions. “Survival” DNA exists. Jeonbuk is in a dangerous situation.
