FC Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong “Leading Korean soccer club aims to reach the ACL”
FC Seoul head coach Kim Ki-dong, 53, said he will build a team that is good at organized soccer.
“We will try to restore Seoul’s glory by strengthening our organizational strength, climbing to the top of the K League 1 and advancing to the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL),” Kim said at a press conference at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on Wednesday.
Kim, who made his debut with the Pohang Steelers in 1991, has been the head coach of Pohang since 2019 and has been able to showcase his leadership skills.
He led the team to back-to-back top-tier finishes in 2019 and 2020, and won the 2020 K League Manager of the Year award.
He finished runner-up in the 2021 Asian Champions League, won the FA Cup last year and finished second in the K League 1.
On February 2, he was named the 2023 Korean Football Association (KFA) Coach of the Year.
‘Pohang Man’ Kim’s move to Seoul came as a surprise to fans. “
I wanted to show that I can perform in a new environment,” Kim said of the move.
Kim’s biggest task will be to improve FC Seoul’s performance.
Seoul is a prestigious club that drew a K League 1 record 432,000 fans for its 19 home games last year.
However, despite the fan interest, the team finished in seventh place in the Final B.
The team hasn’t made it out of the Final B in the last four seasons. “
The better we perform, the better we can lead Korean soccer and drive the box office,” says Kim.
This year, we are preparing with the goal of reaching the top of the standings and qualifying for the ACL,” said Kim.
“Whenever we played Seoul (in Pohang), it was a burden even if we dominated the game because we had many technical players like Ki Sung-yong. 안전토토사이트
But I didn’t feel that the team was organized.
That’s why it’s hard to win,” he analyzed.
He also announced a reorganization of the squad. “
In the midfield, I want players who can move the ball forward quickly and accurately and be tough in defense.
Forwards need to have speed and decisiveness.
I’m looking for players who fit my style,” Kim said. On Feb. 2, Seoul announced the parting of ways with seven players whose contracts ended, including Ji Dong-won.
Regarding midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, who has yet to sign a new contract, he said, “I recently spoke with him on the phone for a long time and said, ‘Seoul is Ki Sung-yueng, Ki Sung-yueng is Seoul, so why don’t you sign a contract soon and play good football.’
He also vowed to strengthen communication with the players. “
When I was a player at Bucheon Eskei (SK), I remember communicating with coach Valery Nifomnish and sharing opinions with each other to the point of being radical, and that had a big impact on my coaching career,” Kim said. “
I’m sure the players’ self-esteem has dropped a lot in the past few years because they haven’t been in the top tier.
I have to show them that ‘Kim Ki-dong is different’.
I want to show them what they can achieve if they believe in me as a coach and follow me.”
