K League 2023 Preview: Bottom 6 Teams
Concluding the previews with best Xi, predictions, tactics etc
Gangwon FC - Prediciton 7th
Best Xi
Depth Chart
Prediction
Think Gangwon will be solid enough this season and think they will have a similar season to last. Predicting they finish just outside the top 6 but should be safe enough from relegation - 7th
Best Transfer
Not many to choose from really and think they all have a battle to become a starter. If I had to pick one I’d probably say CB Kim Woo-seok - highly rated a few years ago before injuries and has a good chance of beating CB Yun Suk-young to a starting place.
Most Improved Player
Might sound strange given he was young player of the year but RW Yang Hyun-jun - think he improves even more this season in terms of consistency and all round play. Gangwon have a long list of players returning from injuries as well so look out for CF Dino Islamovic, GK Lee Gwang-yeon and if he stays CM Han Kook-young - all could be beasts on their day.
Player Who Might Drop Off
The three new signings could take the place of those in the team so CM Seo Min-woo, GK Yu Sang-hun and LWB Jung could be see less time. Forward Lee Jeong-hyup won’t be a starter but could regularly be coming off the bench and capble of the odd goal as well. It might be a challenge for RWB Kim Jin-ho to play as well in his 2nd professional season as well.
U22 Player(s)
Yang Hyun-jun is a nailed starter and certainly won’t be an early sub but the 2nd player isn’t clear and will likely only be a 85th min sub unless someone steps up.
Formation + Style
3-4-3 set up with a mid-low block set up to counter opponents and allow them to have the ball. On the counter they look for widemen Kim Dae-won and Yang to create and both a lethal in front of goal and has the pace to beat defenders, especially Yang. Dino Islamovic gives them more options to go direct and is also a good finisher so they will be happy to let these three do the attacking and the rest to be solid in defence.
Caveat
At the time of writing Kim Dae-won and Yang Hyun-jun do have interest from other teams but both expected to stay though in the summer if Yang plays as well as I think he will - European clubs will come calling.
Daegu FC - 8th
Best Xi on paper
Depth Chart
Prediction
The squad depth of Daegu is very weak, which is usually the case but this year it seems at its weakest. New Brazilians will have to perform if Daegu are to have a better season than last and can’t see them finishing in the top half. Cesinha and co will have enough to keep them up - 8th
Best Transfer
Edgar is a smart signing but Barcelos looks decent as well and I think he gets the starting position and Edgar the late sub. Kim Kang-san is a good player and could get games as the squad gets stretched.
Most Improved Player
Jo Jin-woo will command a starting place for the first time and could be the main threat from set pieces with Jeong Tae-wook gone. Hong Chul hasn’t had the best few seasons and has room to improve but harder to predict. Cesinha being injury free will help but look out for a slow start as he usually takes a month to get up to speed. Kim Hee-seung may get more minutes than last season while new signing Kim Yeong-jun looks a talent having come up from the lower tiers.
Player Who Might Drop Off
Don’t think there is anyone who fits this category.
U22 Player(s)
Hwang Jae-won and Lee Jin-yong both still qualify for u22 rule so the team is set and they don’t use early subs. Backup centre backs Lee Won-woo and Ahn Chang-min also could be used but only if there are injuries.
Formation + Style
3-4-3 as it has been for years and throughout their youth and B team set up. Another team like Gangwon who set up to counter and happy for their opponents to have the ball. Last year’s failed experiment under Gama to gain more possession and control of the ball didn’t work out so back to their old style which had been so successful in previous years.
Caveat
A lot depends on how the new Brazilians fit in and how they manage Penha’s return or whether he will leave. They could definitely do with a bigger squad.
Suwon Bluewings - 9th
Best Xi on paper
Depth Chart
Prediction
Suwon Bluewings have for the 3rd season running sold their best player when they once again didn’t want to. It will be a struggle once again this season and find it hard to separate the two Suwon teams. 9th if they are lucky and 10th equally likely.
Best Transfer
Acosty is a player who deserves to be in the top division but will have to manage his knee after two ACL injuries in recent years. Kim Bo-kyung will be key to Suwon’s survival and should improve their sluggish attack and the same is true for Mulic who will get more consistent game time and won’t have to carry the team like he did at Seongnam. Some good additions here to be fair with Bassani also doing well in preseason.
Most Improved Player
Jeong Seung-won had a disappointing first season but is quality and could revert back to his old RWB position where he did well at Daegu but has to fight for a starting place. Ko Seung-beom is a key player for Suwon and will be playing more consistently than he was at Gimcheon and is sure to improve on his recent performances.
Player Who Might Drop Off
If Lee Jong-sung keeps up his form from the end of last season it will be a miracle - he was absolutely fantastic on both sides of the ball - still expect a good performance but it won’t be at that level. Lee Ki-je will do well to keep up his form but I’m much more confident that he can do that but expect opponents to focus heavily on defending set pieces against Suwon so expect a slight drop.
U22 Player(s)
Big question marks after Oh Hyun-gyu left - no clear player but they do constantly produce young players so they won’t be worried that much. Hard to say who it will be though Lee Sang-min on the LW has a good chance.
Formation + Style
4-3-3 was their choice of formation last season but I suspect the manager would like to play 3-4-3 as he did at Daegu FC. With LB/LWB Lee Ki-je a key player to their attack but suspect at the back it would make sense to let him get forward more and deliver balls into the box for Mulic. Attacking patterns were lacking with Suwon last season and rely heavily on set pieces.
Caveat
Their style and manager isn’t that popular with fans so we could see a change of coach at some point as I expect them to struggle.
Suwon FC - 10th
Best Xi on paper
Depth Chart
Prediction
The front players will have to be at their very best this season because the backline looks very weak. Is it possible to win every game 4-3 Kevin Keegan will tell you yes but think they will have a fight on them to stay in the league - 10th Relegation playoffs.
Best Transfer
Best transfer has been keeping all their star players but adding Yoon Bit-garam is obviously the best business but how can they fit all of them in unless they try a 4-2-2-2 approach. No Dong-geon has a chance of becoming number 1 and usually makes less mistakes than Park and his reported injury could mean No starts with Lee Bum-young also in the frame for another chance.
Most Improved Player
Jackson is without doubt a starter if you look at the other options and ability - hopefully the manager sees it that way too. Think they will concede a lot so that would be a concern. Murilo is in similar positions where they could start the season in favour again and certainly have the ability to play in Xi. Veldwijk has been open about his injuries last season so a good preseason and being injury free should improve his performances.
Player Who Might Drop Off
Jung Jae-young had a great season last year and will do well to keep that up.
U22 Player(s)
Not clear at all brought in 9 new rookies so could be any of them but expect the same 20 minute painful first half sub(s)
Formation + Style
The team have brought in a number of centre backs and have also reportedly targeted Kim Oh-gyu which you would expect them to change back to a back three if they were to sign him. Otherwise it could be 4-2-2-2 with a lack of width a concern for me. They played quite well on the counter last season and they would be stronger defending as a collective in deeper positions and try to counter with their quality up top as good as any in the league.
Caveat
Their defence really is rubbish!
Gwangju FC - 11th
Best Xi on paper
Depth Chart
Prediction
It’s always tough for the promoted team and while Gwangju won the 2nd division easily and their style has been impressive - it’ll be tough in the top division with a lack of squad depth. Think they can avoid automatic relegation and manage 11th
Best Transfer
On paper Timo Letschert looks a very good signing if he can hold it together and not fall out with the coach. The team haven’t added enough depth with the hope Bedinelli can settle and be an important player.
Most Improved Player
The team play out from the back and don’t have fixed positions so the team can rack up the passes. Park Han-bin had a 90% pass accuracy stat in the K2 and could be an important player this season. Ahn Young-gyu was MVP in the 2nd division last year and will be called upon to lead the team from the back. Big hopes for Eom Ji-sung and Heo Yool as well.
Player Who Might Drop Off
Kim Kyung-min was part of a defence that only conceded 32 last season which was the best in the division but will be hard to keep that record up this season.
U22 Player(s)
Eom ji-sung is a key player and qualifies for the u22 rule. Heo Yool will also be used to cover the rule most likely from the bench.
Formation + Style
The team play a modern passing style with positions interchanging and defenders and fullbacks heavily involved in the buildup. Eom Ji-sung is usually the end target of the build up and he is allowed the freedom to create or shoot in the final third.
Caveat
Manager has said they won’t rotate as much as last year and with a small squad they might not have the option. If they start badly they may have to switch tactics which could make things worse.
Daejeon Hana Citizen - 12th
Best Xi on paper
Depth Chart
Squad update* Anton Kryvotsiuk - arrived and should be a starter on the left side of the back three with Byeon, Kim Hyun-woo or Kim Min-duk dropping out of the Xi
Prediction
I think Daejeon will struggle this season and their transfer business was quite disappointing with some areas of the team especially centre midfield looking particularly weak. I'm not a fan of the manager really either. They have lacked consistency under him and he changes formation and tactics too often in my opinion. I think they will go straight down and finish bottom - 12th
Best Transfer
Re-signing Lee Jin-hyun and Ju Se-jong are the two best pieces of transfer business. Without them their midfield would look very weak. The two strikers are interesting ones but will have to prove they can do it in the top league after finishing first and second in the top goalscorer charts in K2 last season
Most Improved Player
Oh Jae-suk will have more of a look in at Daejeon after his move from Incheon and his experience will be important. Kim Hyun-woo is another new arrival who never debuted for Ulsan last season but is highl- rated. Masa Ishida was in and out of the team last season but deserves his chance at K1 after unfortunate spells at Gangwon and being sold by Suwon FC when promoted.
Player Who Might Drop Off
Those players having to prove themselves in the top division like the two new strikers but also Leandro who has always looked very good in K2 has a tendency of throwing his hands up in the air when things don’t go his way.
U22 Player(s)
Byeon Jun-soo and Bae Joon-ho are the two most likely to start with Bae RW particularly exciting one to watch. Byeon will have to step up to the top league with the team's depth quite poor at centre back and could be on the bench if they play a back 4.
Formation + Style
3-4-3 was probably their most common but it’s quite hard to tell given the amount of changes they constantly made to it. I think the manager sets them up to be solidly defensive first and then allows the advanced players to create in the final third. With Gong Min-hyun starting they could press opposition quite well high up but whether they change things up with Gong unlikely to start with the two strikers coming in. Can be quite effective on the counter which I expect to be their main tactic at least at the start of the new season.
Caveat
Manager may change if results are poor or the club may choose to spend in the summer window if things are going badly.