K-League challengers need to find Jeonbuk's consistency

By John Duerden

It’s the same old story at the top of the K-League with Jeonbuk Motors clear at the top. Soccer fans up and down the country are asking whether any team can prevent the Greens from winning the title.

The trophy went to Jeonju World Cup Stadium in 2014 and 2015 and was on its way back there last year, too _ Jeonbuk was penalized nine points after a club scout was found guilty of bribing referees back in 2013.

Such misdemeanors led to the club being kicked out of the 2017 Asian Champions League, just a few weeks after winning the 2016 competition. This was not good news for the rest of the K-League because the ban meant Jeonbuk was freed from Asian commitments and was able to focus solely on domestic affairs.

This year there have been no midweek trips to Australia, China, Japan or Thailand. Instead, Jeonbuk has been able to rest and regroup like all the rest and actually spend some time training and preparing for domestic games.

Jeonbuk does not rely on one player for goals. At the time of writing, the team is joint top scorer in the league but its most prolific forwards are not near the top of the goal-scoring charts.

Kim Shin-wook, Lee Dong-wook and Edu have the experience and the know-how to produce vital goals at vital times.

The midfield is solid. Shin Hyung-min is a well-respected defensive midfielder and gives the talented and creative Lee Jae-sung and Kim Bo-kyung,a foundation to do what they do best and try to find a way through the tightest defenses.

Kim’s reported return to Japan will be a blow for the team and there are the usual rumors that Lee will head to Europe, but we will see.

The fact that Jeonbuk missed out on signing Yoon Bitgaram may be a source of regret. After a spell in China, the talented midfielder seemed to price himself out of a move to the Motors, returning instead to Jeju United.

Jeju has the firepower to challenge and now the team is out of the Asian Champions League, it could well put a run together. It all depends on consistency. Jeonbuk has it, but it remains to be seen if anyone else does also.

Three more teams are also out of the Asian Champions League. Ulsan Horangi looked likely to make it, but failed to apply the pressure when the opportunity was there.

The same can be said of Suwon Bluewings. Jeonbuk’s long-standing rival was disappointing in 2016, but is well-placed to push the leader all the way.

Being out of Asia and able to focus on domestic issues will not make much difference to defending champion FC Seoul, which is way back in the pack and will not be lifting the trophy this season at least.

Fans in the capital are unimpressed with the turgid performances under coach Hwang Sun-hong.

Despite the best efforts of veteran marksman Dejan Damjanovic, with eight goals this year, the team struggles to average more than one goal a game, which is not good enough for a club that sees itself as one of East Asia’s biggest.

At the moment, it is hard to see past Jeonbuk. The Motors do not have a massive lead, but there is a sense it can lift another gear if necessary. Not only that, coach Choi Kang-hee and many of his players know what it is like to win the K-League.

At the moment, it is Jeonbuk’s to lose.