There is a reason for the rise of Pohang Steelers.
Pohang had a lot of concerns even before the season. This is because Shin Jin-ho (Incheon United) and Lim Sang-hyeop (FC Seoul), the main resources of last season, left the team, and Lee Soo-bin (Jeonbuk Hyundai), a former youth player, also transferred. However, as the season began, they are on an undefeated streak with 3 wins and 2 draws. Above all, in the 5th round against Jeonbuk Hyundai, Baek Seong-dong and Jeka wore Pohang uniforms and scored the first goal, piercing the blood of the attack. Pohang scored 8 goals in 5 games, and all the games with the most goals were victorious.
After Shin Jin-ho left this season, Pohang coach Kim Ki-dong made some changes to his attacking style. This is because, unlike Shin Jin-ho, who is good at switching passes and long passes, Oberdan and Kim Jong-woo, who make up the midfield, are good at releasing pressure. So, coach Kim is unleashing the offense through organic movements of the players and short passes. Pohang ranks first in actual attack area passes (1775) as well as forward passes (880), mid-distance passes (1143), and side passes (1156).
Above all, the so-called Pressure Intensity (PPDA) indicator shows Pohang’s strengths. PPDA is an indicator that measures the act of trying to block an opponent’s pass from near the half line. The fewer passes and the more defenses, the more successful the pressure was. Until the 5th round, Pohang’s PPDA was 7.08, ranking second. It is second after Jeonbuk Hyundai (6.95), which ranked first. The number of shots allowed is 7.6, the only one of 12 clubs allowed less than 10. Jeonbuk, despite strong pressure, allowed 12.6 shots, in contrast to Pohang. 스포츠토토
The same is true when looking at another indicator, the sequence. Sequence means the flow of the ball, and it starts from the moment a player of one team takes an action to control the ball. It is interrupted by factors such as the opponent’s defense, shooting, scoring, or stopping the game. The starting point of Pohang’s sequence is 52.21m. It is far ahead of Suwon FC (37.67m), which is the lowest. That’s how well he took the ball from the opponent’s half. Pohang’s average number of passes in the following sequence is 7.48. This record also ranks first in Pohang. The duration is also overwhelming at 19.67 seconds. It is about 8 seconds longer than second place Gangwon FC (11.21 seconds). It is about 13 seconds longer than the lowest ranked Daegu FC (6.72 seconds). Pohang means to keep the flow well after catching the ball in a high position. Since the end of the sequence was not completely disclosed, it cannot be evaluated as a more aggressive play. Nevertheless, there seems to be a reason for Pohang’s early rise in the season.
