If you don't have it, your gums...How Lee Young-jin, who led the 'Changwon sensation', survives in the K3 League
If you don't have it, your gums...How Lee Young-jin, who led the 'Changwon sensation', survives in the K3 League
Blog Article
"If you don't have one, you will have to use your gums." Manager Lee Young-jin, who led Changwon FC's sensation, will survive in the K3 League.
Coach Lee Young-jin came to take the helm of Changwon somewhat unexpectedly ahead of last season. Due to internal circumstances, the team immediately started the season without even having a proper pre-season. The composition of the team was also completed in a big way. Although he was the defending champion, it was almost impossible to achieve results at a time when everything had changed from head to toe.
He was frustrated. While coaching Seongnam Ilhwa (current Seongnam FC), FC Seoul's head coach, and Yongin City Football Center coach, Lee established his own distinct tactical philosophy. It was sufficient if he had time to transfer the information to his team. Having defined three consecutive games as "self-preseason" since the opening of the 2024 K3 League in March last year, Lee has been undefeated in eight matches with six wins and two draws since his third consecutive win.
Against public expectations, Changwon ended the season with 14 wins, eight draws, and eight losses (50 points) in 30 games to rank fourth. It was the result of coach Lee Young-jin's strong sense of unity and leadership.
He met with coach Lee Young-jin ahead of an away match between Gangneung Citizens' Soccer Team and the ninth round of the 2025 K3 League, which will take place at Gangneung Stadium at 2 p.m. on Saturday. "Since (Jin) Semin needs surgery due to a knee injury, we have changed the system. After all, it is a battle of a narrow margin. Up to now, there have been many cases in which players failed to take advantage of the opportunity. Just because you use three backs does not mean you are focusing on defense. We plan to deploy offense based on the sides, and the key is how much we can bring out the opposing defenders," Lee said.
The K3 and K4 leagues have different squads every season. Changwon was no exception. "Up until last year, 안전놀이터 we had players like Son Joon-seok (Ansan Greeners), Jeon Seong-jin (Hwaseong FC), and Moon Seul-beom (Dangjin Civic Football Team). There are still many trustworthy players including (Ha) Jae-hyun, but it is true that his destructive power has decreased. We are gathering opinions on strengthening foreign strikers this summer," Lee said.
Nearly a year and a half have passed since he took the helm. Lee Young-jin may have stabilized the team compared to the hectic first season. "To be honest, last year, he showed strong cohesion to pull him out as much as possible in a well-equipped environment. "I exceeded my goal because I was able to maintain this performance until the end of the season," he said. "I think it will be difficult to achieve the same results as the last season this year, but it would be my gums without it. I want to do my best as much as I can."