Ulsan, which has exploded to ‘Jumin-gyu’, is getting stronger
Ulsan Hyundai’s early momentum is fierce. In addition, Joo Min-gyu (33), who joined this season, tasted the goal and raised expectations for the future.
Ulsan is the only team to win all three games at the beginning of the 2023 season. They beat Jeonbuk Hyundai, Gangwon FC, and FC Seoul to lead the K-League 1. Most of all, it is a good thing that the performance is noticeably improving.
In the first game, Ulsan, facing the ‘opponent’ Jeonbuk Hyundai, earned 3 points as Rubikson scored without missing the opponent’s goalkeeper Kim Jeong-hoon’s mistake. The Gangwon match was not easy either. The condition of Ulsan players was not perfect, and the build-up of the normally stable rear resources was not smooth. After Eom Won-sang’s goal in the early part of the second half, Ulsan blocked Gangwon’s wave of offensive attacks and sounded the score with difficulty. The so-called 2 games were ‘kkuyeok wins’.
In the away match against Seoul in the third round, his performance even improved. It’s not as good as last year, but it gave off the feeling that it was slowly getting back on track. Ulsan repeatedly harassed Seoul, who was good at passing from the rear, with organized pressure. Seoul also interfered with Ulsan’s rear build-up with intermittent pressure, but Ulsan steadfastly solved the game with a short pass following organic movements. At the end of the second half, an indirect free kick was awarded due to a mistake by opponent goalkeeper Choi Cheol-won, and it was quite clever to handle it quickly.
Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo, who won the match against Seoul, said, “The fact that we couldn’t create a chance and hit a shot is something we need to improve. I think the process is good enough. If this process continues, one day the score will explode. Out of the 3 matches (against Seoul), it was the best,” he said.
It is also good news for Ulsan that Joo Min-gyu, who should be reborn as a ‘main gun’, scored a goal. Ulsan was unable to taste goals in the two previous games by Joo Min-gyu and Martin Adam, the forward strikers. In the meantime, Um Won-sang played the role of a solver, but the silence of the two strikers was a concern. Joo Min-gyu, who returned to Ulsan after four years, showed a quick adaptation to the team, and his worries were relieved. 스포츠토토
Manager Hong Myung-bo said, “Ju Min-gyu is a player who can score goals at any time. It was important when he scored. As he played, he was able to take on the burden himself. (In the future) I expect him to be more involved in scoring while playing with a lighter heart.”
Joo Min-gyu also said, “It is true that there was a sense of pressure in every game. After moving to Ulsan, I felt sorry for the fans because there was no attack point, but he scored a goal and felt light.”
Ulsan will challenge Suwon FC to win its 4th consecutive season on the 19th at 4:30 pm at Ulsan Munsu Soccer Stadium.