Description
Coach Dan Petrescu, the head coach of the K-League 1 Jeonbuk Hyundai, will give up the baton. Jeonbuk has decided to take responsibility for the collapse of the team, which used to be considered one of the most prestigious in the K-League. Jeonbuk, which was evaluated as the champion's power, is the only team among the 25 teams in the K-League 1 (minor) and K-League (minor) with no wins, ranking at the bottom of the K-League 1. 토토
According to multiple sources in the soccer community, Petrescu recently announced his resignation to the club, and is discussing whether to leave the club. He is responsible for his sluggish performance. Jeonbuk has been at the bottom of the list of 12 K-League 1 teams with three draws and two losses (three points) through Tuesday. Notably, it scored only four points in five matches, ranking the lowest in scoring (tied for 11th place). This is in stark contrast to Jeonbuk's past moves, which once coined the term "dakgong" (shut up and attack) and swept away the trophy.
Petrescu was criticized for failing to utilize the power that Jeonbuk possesses. Critics pointed out that the team failed to utilize the power that it boosted in the transfer market by launching monotonous attacks such as long passes and side penetrations using players' individual capabilities without detailed operation of tactics. Jeonbuk, which has risen to the top nine times in the 12 years to 2021 after winning its first K-League 1 trophy in 2009, is now considered the "last" in collapse, as it rose to No. 1 in the history of championships. For this reason, critics say that Park Ji-sung, the technical director who led the appointment of Petrescu and the formation of the team, is taking responsibility.
Jeonbuk's sinking didn't happen in an instant. While it is true that the team has shown sluggish performance since Petrescu's inauguration, a closer look confirms that former general manager Lee Cheol-geun, who led Jeonbuk's breakthrough, has collapsed little by little since Choi Kang-hee (currently Shandong Taishan coach) left in 2017 and 2018. As the saying goes, "A rich man has something to eat for three years even if he collapses," Jeonbuk's collapse proceeded without a hitch. Jeonbuk had won the K League 1 title for exactly three years from 2019 to 2021, but fell sharply this year following its runner-up finish in 2022 and fourth place in 2023.
A change in the system has eroded the foundation of Jeonbuk, a prestigious club. After Lee stepped down, Baek Seung-kwon, a former frontman of Jeonbuk, was appointed, but the team's ultimate decision maker was an outsider in professional sports. Heo Byung-gil, a former CEO who took office in November 2019, was an outstanding sales expert in full-time, but had no experience in professional soccer. Moreover, after Baek stepped down in April 2022, Heo's decision-making power became stronger. Jeonbuk eventually replaced Heo with Jeong Yu-seok, a part-time CEO, late last year, and left the club's decision to Lee Do-hyun, who has extensive experience in professional basketball and archery, but failed to prevent the sinking that had already begun.