The ‘promoted team’ Daejeon Hana Citizen is preparing for a challenge in the first division relatively calmly.
Daejeon, led by coach Lee Min-seong, left for winter training in Chonburi, Thailand via Incheon International Airport on the 3rd. It has entered full-scale quenching for the 2023 season.
Daejeon succeeded in promotion beyond Sangmu Kim Cheon in the promotion playoffs last year. It was a result achieved in the third year of corporate team conversion. Expectations were raised that the parent company would actively support the plan to challenge the Asian stage by becoming competitive in the first division. However, winter in Daejeon is relatively quiet. There is no news other than the signing of K-League 2 top scorer Yoo Kang-hyun and defenders Oh Jae-seok and Kim Hyun-woo.
Coach Lee, who we met ahead of departure, said, “After being promoted last year, I only had one good day. After that, he continued to worry about the challenge in the first division. He raised his salary to catch existing resources, and there are not many domestic resources to recruit. Recruiting isn’t easy. It can certainly look quiet from the outside,” he said. He believes that if only foreign players in the process come in, he can do well enough,” he said, expressing his thoughts that he is not very worried.
Coach Lee experienced the promotion playoffs in the first year in charge of Daejeon, and put the team in the first division in the second year. In 2023, he has to take on a new challenge in the first division. He said, “To be honest, wouldn’t it be a lie if I said I wasn’t worried?” Over the past year, our team has shown continuous improvement. If the recruitment is done properly, we expect to show a competitive appearance in the first division. I am confident that there will be no helpless collapse.” He continued, “In the second division, I focused on being aggressive. In the first division, I plan to play aggressive soccer that strikes the opponent by raising the tempo while maintaining balance.”
The first goal for the promoted team would be to remain in the 1st division, but coach Lee aimed to advance to the Final A. He said, “Still, isn’t Daejeon a corporate club? The battles of the past and the battles of today are different. I think we should move towards a higher goal now. It is important to survive in the fierce first division, but I want to aim for more than that 토토사이트. The goal is to go to Final A in 6th place,” he said.
Daejeon returned to the first division after 8 years since 2015. With the entry into the K-League 1, there is a strong will to recreate the glory of the past as a ‘soccer city’. Director Lee said, “There are many passionate fans in Daejeon. I can’t forget last year’s promotion playoffs. As the team has risen to the first division, we will repay you with good content and results so that hidden soccer fans in Daejeon can find the stadium again. If you support us, we will focus on helping Daejeon become the center of the K-League.”