“Your passion for soccer is extraordinary I’m competitive enough, so I’ll take off one layer.”
Seong-hwan Cho, Incheon coach
Pro soccer K League 1 Incheon United manager Cho Seong-hwan cited Park Seung-ho’s revival and the strengthening of the offensive line’s scoring power as key conditions for a rebound.
Incheon coach Cho Seong-hwan said in a phone call with Yonhap News on the 12th, “It seems like Park Seung-ho is going through growing pains. If he overcomes it through training and game experience, he will peel off one layer of the shell that surrounds him.”
Park Seung-ho met the expectations of coach Cho Sung-hwan during the club’s winter training period ahead of this season.
Park Seung-ho, who participated in the FIFA U-20 World Cup after being called by Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-joong, who was leading the U-20 national team in May last year, broke his right ankle during a group match, but survived 100 days after intensive rehabilitation. I returned to the ground after a long time.
Park Seung-ho, who finished the season on a high note after returning to the K-League by scoring his debut goal and sweeping the round’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, worked hard throughout the winter and was classified as a key offensive resource for Jo Seong-hwan-ho.
Park Seung-ho seemed to hit the jackpot right from the start, recording 1 goal and 1 assist in the 1st to 4th rounds of K-League 1 this season and standing tall as the protagonist of the first Young Player Award of the 2024 season, but he was unable to accumulate attack points after the Gwangju FC match in the 5th round.
Coach Cho Sung-hwan expressed his belief, saying, “Park Seung-ho has extraordinary passion and affection for soccer. If he doesn’t work hard, he’ll be scolded for showing off, but he’s not that kind of player.”
However, I thought he was weighed down between his desire to demonstrate his skills and the pressure to repay the coaches’ trust.
Coach Cho explained, “When I didn’t know something, I just worked hard and showed good performance, but now that I learned little by little and tried to do well, it seemed to have the opposite effect. I think it’s a growth process. I think I think more about myself.”
Specifically, Coach Cho diagnosed that Park Seung-ho needs to improve his play using his teammates and his detailed passing.
Because I put in 100% of my passion, my ability to respond to unexpected situations is a bit low, and I think there is still a lot of room for growth in terms of controlling strength and weakness and managing the game.
During the club’s training camp held in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do from the 6th to the 11th, Coach Cho said he did not say much to Park Seung-ho because he was worried that advice could actually add burden and pressure.
Instead, he showed unwavering trust.
Coach Cho said, “The term ‘second-year jinx’ is created by the player himself. The coach believes in the player and sends him to the game, so he just needs to show passionate play like a young player.” He added, “He is a sufficiently competitive player. He has training and game experience. “I hope you can overcome (growing pains) and peel off a layer of skin through this,” he expressed his affection.
Incheon has set a goal of entering Final A (top 6) for three consecutive seasons, but has been unable to reach the top of the rankings.
Among the 12 teams in K League 1, there are the most draws (7), so the speed of accumulating points is slow, and the winning streak lasts only once in the 4th to 5th rounds.
They missed victory at every critical juncture and were unable to find an opportunity to rebound.
Other than Lee Myung-joo, who will return around August-September after undergoing shoulder surgery, there are no players left due to injury. The top scorer, Mugosa (9 goals), the fourth-place assister, Gerso (4 assists), and defenders Jonic and Delbridge also played their part. The disappointment is even greater because I am doing everything.
Coach Seong-Hwan Cho analyzed that it was the result of a combination of ups and downs in performance, poor crisis management skills, and a decrease in atmosphere due to unpleasant incidents such as ‘throwing a water bottle’.
“We drew a game we should have won, and lost a game we should have tied. At the center of it all, the coach’s role was insufficient,” said coach Cho, who blamed himself and focused on increasing his scoring power during this break.
Incheon scored 20 goals and gave up 21 goals in 16 games. The team ranks 7th in the league in both goals scored and goals conceded.
Coach Cho said, “Only when the defense is good can the offense be good. We didn’t concede many goals, but we need to score more goals. We reviewed the team’s tactics and paid attention to the scoring pattern and defensive organization,” and added, “The atmosphere has also improved a lot.” I looked back on my training camp. 섯다