“It plays a very important role in our team.”
After the opening of the K-League 1, Ulsan Hyundai, which has been overwhelmingly in first place, balanced offense and defense with 9 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, 22 points and 9 concessions until the 11th round.
In particular, the conceded point was the only one among 12 clubs with the minimum conceded score. A good offense wins, but a good defense can win the championship, he said.
At the center of Ulsan’s defense are national team central defender Kim Young-kwon (33) and right-sided defender Kim Tae-hwan (34). In particular, Kim Young-kwon started all 11 games after the opening and showed his strength to play full-time. It is the beginning of the season and he needs to take care of his stamina at the point of slowly heading towards the middle, but coach Hong Myung-bo trusted him and put him in the starting list without hesitation.
Kim Young-kwon had a hard time taking care of his body right before the World Cup in Qatar last year. Director Hong was also quite worried. However, Kim Young-kwon, who is strong in real life, scored an equalizer against Portugal. This proves that he is Kim Young-kwon, whom he trusts and writes.
After the start of this season, he started full-time in all league games, and also played full-time against Colombia and Uruguay in March. It was natural to feel tired.
However, Kim Young-kwon is clearly balancing Kim Ki-hee and Ulsan defense. It was also a starter in the 12th round against Gangwon FC at Munsu Soccer Stadium in Ulsan on the 9th. Director Hong said, “(Kim Young-kwon) kept talking. He said it was okay,” and said that there was nothing wrong with the appearance.
Even Kim Young-kwon was not listed in the best 11 of the week selected by the Korea Professional Football Federation this year. Coach Hong did not hide his reassurance, saying, “I don’t know what the professional league selection criteria are, but it plays a very important role in our team.”
On this day, Gangwon featured strikers born in 2002, such as Yang Hyeon-jun and Park Sang-hyeok, who performed best last year. It was the will to fight with the spirit of youth. However, Kim Young-kwon was correctly holding Gangwon’s pass path. In the aerial competition, he was not pushed at all.
Gangwon, whose offense was not resolved, started the second half, which was losing 0-1, and harassed the Ulsan defense by putting Kim Dae-won in the 10th minute. Still, Kim Young-kwon remained calm. When Kim Ki-hee threw himself, Kim Young-kwon took control of the space and induced the Gangwon offensive line to become impatient. 먹튀검증
In the end, Kim Yeong-kwon’s defensive leadership led to a scoreless victory, 1-0, and it became a game where Kim Young-kwon’s defensive leadership shined again. A two-match scoreless victory followed naturally. Ulsan is running the best season.