In the K-League 1, up to three teams are relegated. Since it is a 12-team system, it means that a whopping 25% can fall to the K-League 2. The K-League 1 bottom (12th) and K-League 2 champions swap places, and the K-League 1 10th and 11th place will go through a promotion playoff (PO) to determine whether or not they will survive.
Last season, Seongnam FC was directly relegated, and 11th place manager Kim Cheon fell to K League 2 after losing to Daejeon Hana Citizen, who finished second in the K League 2, in a promotion PO. Suwon Samsung, in 10th place, managed to stay behind FC Anyang dramatically, but came back after taking the threshold of hell메이저놀이터.
Competition for rankings in the early stages of ‘Hana 1 Q K League 1 2023’ is also fierce. 2 teams have yet to report a victory in the middle of the 6th round. Gangwon FC is in 11th place with 3 draws and 3 losses, and Suwon Samsung is in last place with 2 draws and 4 losses. Jeju United did not win until the 5th round, but they beat Gangwon 1-0 in the 6th round and tasted their first victory belatedly.
What is noteworthy here is the trend around this time last year. In preparation for the World Cup in Qatar, the 2022 season K League 1, which opened earlier than usual in mid-February, to the 6th round, Gimcheon started off smoothly with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, including beating Pohang Steelers and FC Seoul. Suwon Samsung tried to save face with 1 win, 3 draws and 2 losses by beating rivals Suwon FC, but Seongnam was caught in an uncomfortable atmosphere early on with 2 draws and 4 losses.
Despite the good start of the opening, there is no guarantee that the early flow will go to the end like Gimcheon, who was eventually demoted. You have to keep earning victory points to survive. However, the sluggishness of the bottom two teams this season is not serious.
It is a pity that Gangwon has poor scoring ability and Suwon Samsung has poor defense. Gangwon, whose ‘offensive duo’ Yang Hyun-joon and Kim Dae-won were engulfed in goal silence, is currently at the bottom of the league with only 3 points. Suwon Samsung scored 5 goals, but lost 10 goals due to poor back doors. Last year, Seongnam also recorded 3 points and 10 goals until the 6th round as a model of the ‘put less, eat more’ team.
Of course, there is plenty of time. Ulsan Hyundai, the leader with 6 wins, and Pohang, 2nd with 4 wins and 2 draws, are far ahead, but the middle and lower ranks are tight. Up to 5th place Gwangju FC (9 points) can be seen as a pursuit. Kangwon coach Choi Yong-soo said, “I will trust and wait. Even last year, there were times when we didn’t score goals and couldn’t score points.” Suwon Samsung coach Lee Byeong-geun is promising a rebound, saying, “If we try harder, if we show strong concentration, we can do it.”