Coach Kim Ki-dong’s unorthodox twin-tower tactic was impressive.
Pohang Steelers defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai 1-0 in the 15th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Steelyard. Pohang remained unbeaten in four matches and maintained their fourth place in the standings with another win over Jeonbuk following their last meeting. Jeonbuk lost for the fifth time in five games and dropped to seventh place.
Pohang came out firing in the first half. They were celebrating their 50th anniversary and had a lot of fans in attendance, which added to their motivation. They pushed forward like crazy and tried to score. In the 36th minute, they had to swallow their disappointment when Zeca’s shot hit the post, and then Baek Sung-dong’s shot hit the post. Despite the onslaught, the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, Jeonbuk took off Hapa Silva, who was struggling, and put on Song Min-gyu. They were more aggressive than in the first half and harassed Pohang. To regain the lead, coach Kim Ki-dong took off Lee Seung-mo and Baek Sung-dong in the 14th minute of the second half and brought on Lee Ho-jae and Shin Kwang-hoon. Shin Kwang-hoon moved into the midfield and formed a midfield with Aubertan. Lee Ho-jae was expected to form a two-top with Zeca.
With two height-advantaged players up front, it was expected to be a straightforward crossing attack. Instead, Kim Ki-Dong tried an unorthodox tactic, utilizing the twin towers in a different way, with Lee Ho-Jae up front and Zeca on the left. When the offense developed, the ball went to Zeca. Zeca, who has good ball possession and link-up skills, drove the play.
Aubertan and Shim Sang-min came around him to support him. When Jeonbuk’s defense was pressured, he would quickly get upfield and pass to Lee Ho-jae or Go Young-joon, who could penetrate. It was a way to utilize the players’ abilities instead of attacking with crosses, which are less likely to be successful. Kim Ki-dong’s unorthodox twin-tower tactics were effective, and Jeonbuk could not attack with confidence as they continued to allow shots on goal 스포츠토토.
Jeonbuk also utilized the twin towers. In the 19th minute of the second half, Moon took off Sun-min and brought on Gustavo to form a two-tower with Cho Kyu-sung. It was a typical twin tower tactic. When Jeonbuk got the ball, they would play long passes aimed at either Cho or Gustavo’s head. If the cross didn’t work, Cho Kyu-sung would come down and receive the ball. Gustavo battled with Ha Chang-rae and Grant in the front line. They alternated between two patterns but lacked sharpness. The success rate was low and mistakes were repeated, giving Pohang chances to counterattack.
After taking the lead through Go Young-jun’s goal, Pohang dropped a tired Zeca and an injury-plagued Go Young-jun and brought on Wandelsson and Kim Jun-ho. The duo disrupted Jeonbuk’s build-ups with a lot of activity and threatened the Jeonbuk goal with fast breaks when they got the ball. The result was a 1-0 win for Pohang. Pohang won in both content and result. The players played well, but coach Kim Ki-dong’s tactics also shone through.