Song Min-kyu is expected to take over as Jeonbuk Hyundai’s ace in the absence of Cho Kyu-sung.
Jeonbuk drew 2-2 with Daejeon Hana Citizen in the 22nd round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Heading into this match, Jeonbuk had lost a lot of strength. Cho Kyu-sung, who has been the frontline since the second half of last season, moved to Mittwilan in Denmark, where he is now playing in Europe.
Jeonbuk head coach Dan Petrescu said of Cho’s departure, “Of course, I feel bad as a coach. It’s almost impossible to replace him. He is one of the best players in Korea. As a player, it’s fulfilling an ambition to go to Europe. But as a coach, it’s a mixed feeling.”
The reason why Petrescu is worried, despite Jeonbuk having the best record in the K League, is that the club currently has no reliable striker options. Gustavo has struggled this season, scoring just one goal in 18 games. Hapa Silva hasn’t done much either, with three goals and one assist in 17 games.
Lee Dong-joon, who returned from Europe, has yet to score in the league. Gyowon Han also has just one goal in the league. Even if he hasn’t played as well as he did last season, and even if he hasn’t played as many games due to injury, Cho Kyu-sung’s presence has been crucial for Jeonbuk.
While the transfer market is still open, it’s hard to see a replacement for Cho at this point. It’s very difficult to bring in an international striker in the summer transfer window. If they do try to find a foreign player, they’ll have a lot of work to do. Jeonbuk has six foreign quota spots (including one Asian quota) that are all filled. In order to bring in a foreign player, the team needs to organize its roster. The clock is ticking as the transfer window is closing.
In Daejeon, it was Song Min-kyu who eased Jeonbuk and Petrescu’s worries a bit. He opened the scoring in the 15th minute of the first half. In the 19th minute, after a long pass from the back, he used his speed and strength to beat Byun Joon-soo and split the goal with a clever shot. It was a goal that showed just how good Song’s form is right now.바카라
Song’s performance continued. In the 32nd minute, he received the ball from the right side. Once he had a clear view, he delivered a sharp cross to Gustavo. Gustavo had the chance to put it in, but it went wide of the goal. Jeonbuk didn’t win the game, but they learned that they need to utilize Song Min-gyu more.
Song Min-kyu hasn’t had a “consistent” season for Jeonbuk after joining from Pohang Steelers during the 2021 season. This season, however, he seems to have rediscovered himself and has established himself as a reliable member of the team.
He is fulfilling the promise he made to the fans at the beginning of the season. Although Song didn’t play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, he learned from watching his older brothers play on the world stage and it shows on the pitch.
“I didn’t get to play at the World Cup, but I could feel the desire out there,” he said at the opening media day of the 2023 season. “My brother (Kim) Min-jae
