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| ▲ Suwon Samsung Bluewings head coach Kim Byung-soo speaks at his introductory press conference at the K League 1 team's clubhouse in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 8, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Suwon Samsung Bluewings head coach Kim Byung-soo speaks at his introductory press conference at the K League 1 team's clubhouse in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 8, 2023. (Yonhap) |
football club-coach
New coach for last-place football club seeks gradual changes
HWASEONG, South Korea, May 8 (Yonhap) -- Faced with an unenviable task of turning things around for a dismal club, new Suwon Samsung Bluewings head coach Kim Byung-soo said he will try to bring about gradual changes, rather than any radical transformation.
Kim was formally introduced as the new bench boss for the K League 1 club on Monday, four days after being named to the position for the last-place team.
At the time of Kim's hiring, Suwon had been winless for the season with two draws and eight losses. They finally got into the win column on Friday by beating Incheon united 1-0, with Kim watching from the stands.
Kim, 52, will make his Suwon coaching debut Wednesday against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
"It's not easy to change everything all at once," Kim said at his introductory press conference at Suwon's clubhouse in Hwaseong, some 45 kilometers south of Seoul. "I recognize this is a difficult situation. My mindset is we'll try to change little by little, and start playing with more confidence."
Kim was head coach for Gangwon FC from August 2019 to November 2021. He made a name for himself by preaching an attack-minded, possession-based brand of football, which came to be called "Byung-soo Ball."
Asked if he would adopt similarly aggressive tactics, Kim chose his words carefully.
"It'd be foolish for me to only do things the way I want to," Kim said. "I can't force-feed any tactic on players if it doesn't suit them. It is difficult to pull off a major tactical change, but it is possible to alter our style of play."
Suwon have managed to score only nine goals in 11 matches and have conceded a league-worst 18 goals. Kim said he will devise offensive and defensive tactics based on his personnel to address the dismal goal differential, though he was also mindful of mounting injuries on the team.
"It was not an easy decision to take this job, but if someone had to do it, I didn't want to shy away from this challenge," Kim said. "I also thought I could learn a lot from this position. Obviously, I will be criticized more often than I will be praised. But if I can grow from that experience, it will have been worth it."
Kim said he wants his players to start having more fun in training, which he thinks will then translate to better performances in matches.
"Though I can't change everything right away, I believe I can change the vibe within the team quickly," Kim said. "I told the players that it's important for them to do things that they have to do, rather than do things that they want to do. We have to grow into a team that wins and loses together."
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