Coach Kim Sang-sik meets his old team Jeonbuk

Vietnam team meets 'big mountain'

The Vietnamese team defeated Daegu FC and Ulsan Citizen with the same score of 2-0 in both of their first friendly matches in Korea. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team demonstrated a tight defense, effective transitions and attacks. Mr. Kim also took the opportunity to test many new faces. Up to now, the Korean coach has received positive signals.

However, the true strength of the Vietnamese team will be revealed in the final match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at 12:00 on December 1. This is also a reunion with coach Kim Sang-sik's old team, where he was very successful as both a player and head coach.

Vietnam team training in Korea

Jeonbuk FC is a monument of Korean football with 9 championships, 2 runner-up finishes in the last 13 K-League seasons (2009 - 2021). When it first won the title in 2009, Jeonbuk's number of championships was still 6 teams behind.

But currently, no team can match Jeonbuk in terms of achievements. The team that Mr. Kim coached also won the K-League championship for 5 consecutive years - a record in the history of the tournament.

In the AFC Champions League, Kim Jin-su and his teammates won 2 championships (2006, 2016) and finished second in 2011. In the last 48 matches in the Asian playground, Jeonbuk won 26 victories (54% rate).

Coach Kim Sang-sik has 3 seasons (2021 - 2023) coaching Jeonbuk. He helped the team win the 2021 K-League and the 2022 Korean FA Cup, winning the Coach of the Year award in the 2021 season.

With 378 matches in the K-League and 59 matches for the Korean national team, Mr. Kim can easily demonstrate technical tactics and expertise to his students. Being selected by Jeonbuk, the most successful team in the K-League for 3 seasons, also partly shows the professional ability of Coach Kim Sang-sik.

Coach Kim Sang-sik (right)

Under the coaching hand of the 48-year-old strategist, Jeonbuk is the most effective attacking team in the K-League with 200 goals after 118 matches (average 1.69 goals/match).

Kim continues testing?

Coach Kim Sang-sik still applies the method of mixing experienced players and new faces in past friendly matches, aiming to create an endless competition for positions.

Many players have "scored points" with Mr. Kim, including Quang Hai, Tuan Hai, Hai Long and Tien Linh. However, the Korean coach still needs a strong and disciplined opponent like Jeonbuk to see more clearly the abilities of his students.

Jeonbuk FC has not been successful since coach Kim Sang-sik left. The team only ranked 10th out of 12 teams in the 2024 K-League, with many problems from playing style to the upper echelons.

However, Jeonbuk is still a formidable opponent, forcing the Vietnamese team to make great efforts to stop them. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will aim for a third consecutive victory to end their training trip in Korea in the most complete way.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-hlv-kim-sang-sik-gap-lai-doi-bong-cu-jeonbuk-185241130134956937.htm