By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
The Pohang Steelers now seem too hot for any team to handle. But the desperate Seongnma Ilhwa Chunma will refuse to get burned at home.
After a 3-1 lashing of the Chunma last week in the first leg of the championship finals in Pohang, the Steelers are on the verge of clinching their first Korea Professional Football League (K-League) title in 15 years, a surprising paucity for the proud franchise that attracts a massive following year after year for its traditional all-out attacking style.
The Chunma, who finished in first place in the regular season to secure a finals berth, now find themselves with their backs to the wall heading into the second-leg final match at Tancheon Stadium Sunday.
``We have won the first match, but we are just halfway there,'' said Steelers manager Sergio Farias, who is seen as a frontrunner to take the now vacant job as South Korea's senior national team manager. ``There will not be much tactical changes for the second-leg match, as we will look to win our way.''
To prevent the Steelers from lifting the championship trophy in front of their home crowd, the Chunma need to clear their surging opponents by at least two goals.
That will certainly be a daunting task for the hosts, who find themselves compromised by injuries and perhaps from the long layoff after securing their postseason spot.
Still, Chunma manager Kim Hak-bum insists that his team is not ready to roll over.
``Mathematically, Pohang's chances of winning the championship are 99 percent,'' said Kim, who admitted that his decision to substitute central midfielder Son Dae-ho with reserve forward Han Dong-won was a tactical error, as it allowed the Steelers the lion's share of possession. ``But we will be fighting to make real our 1 percent chance. We won't make the same mistake twice,''
However, such an attack-oriented team selection now has become inevitable for the Chunma, when they need at least two goals to keep their hopes alive.
``Our fate will be determined by how quickly we can score the first goal,'' Kim said. ``We will be aggressive coming out of the gate.''
Scoring against the Steelers is one thing, preventing them from doing the same is quite another. The Steelers, who squeezed through the postseason after finishing fifth in the regular season, are an offensive juggernaut that is peaking at the right time.
Brazilian playmaker Andre Luiz Tavares is probably the best player in South Korean professional football, with his combination of pace, trickery and distribution giving fits to the opposing defense. Tavares is also deadly in set piece situations, giving his team a puncher's chance against anybody.
Tavares is supported by Kim Gi-dong, a central midfielder with excellent skills and vision, and Choi Hyo-jin, a diminutive winger who plays with an unmatched confidence and motor. Park Won-jae, who opened the account for the team in the first-leg match, will add width to the attack on the left flank, while Brazilians Jonhes Elias Pinto Dos Santos and Cleber Schwenck Tiene are true frontline predators in front of the net.
Chunma manger Kim, who can't afford a defensive blunder, is leaning toward packing the midfield with five players and trotting out Brazilian forward Itamar Batista Da Silva as the lone striker. It certainly hurts that the team's best player, Brazilian forward Joao Soares Da Mota Neto, who has a reputation for wonder goals, will sit out the final due to injury.
Wingers Choi Sung-kuk and Nam Ki-il will be counted on to push the ball and keep their target men from being isolated for long stretches. Central midfielders Son, Kim Doo-hyun and Kim Sang-sik will be handed heavy defensive assignments, while opening lanes for fullbacks Jang Hak-young and Park Jin-seop in the attack.
Pounding the ball to the flanks could be a logical way to attack the Steelers, who virtually start three center backs in Cho Sung-hwan, Hwang Jae-won and Kim Gwang-seok, who are strong in the air but less confident in one on ones.