Usually, in European football, the manager is easily changed, but the captain does not change. Ahead of the opening of the 2023 season, the K-League is different. While more than half of the clubs have replaced the captain, the manager is in an atmosphere of going without change.
As of now, as we enter the opening month of the 2023 K League 1 season, all 12 teams are expected to enter the new season without changing their coaches unless there are major variables. Jeonbuk Kim Sang-sik, Pohang Kim Ki-dong, Jeju Nam Ki-il, Gwangju Lee Jeong-hyo, and Daejeon Hana Lee Min-seong signed extension contracts, and Daegu coach Choi Won-kwon was appointed as the official manager after getting off the ticket of acting manager. Ulsan Hong Myeong-bo, Incheon Cho Seong-hwan, Gangwon Choi Yong-soo, Suwon FC Kim Do-gyun, Seoul Ahn Ik-soo, and Suwon coach Lee Byeong-geun have contract terms remaining.
Since the introduction of the split round in 2013, this is the first time that a manager change has not been carried out before the start of a new season in K-League 1. Every year, at least 1 team, and at most 5 teams, the manager was changed and changed. In 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2021, just under half of five teams changed managers. The winter was especially cold for the K-League leaders that year. However, this year, many teams signed extension contracts with existing managers, and fewer leaders whose contracts were terminated. The 12 coaches remained as the representative faces of each club in the new season as if they had promised.
Replacing the coach, who is the head of the squad, is a sure turnaround card for a team that needs change due to factors such as sluggish performance, bad contents, discord within the team, and angry fans. However, the replacement of the manager also causes considerable confusion to the squad. The newly appointed coach wants to recruit players who suit his taste, so a change in the squad is inevitable. It takes time for the new coach and the existing players to match their ‘chemistry’. As such, 안전놀이터 the advantages and disadvantages of replacing a manager are clear. This year, the atmosphere prioritizes stability and continuity over radical change.
It depends on the circumstances of the club, but the width of the squad change is inevitably smaller than the season when the manager was replaced. Managers usually work on team rebuilding based on the previous season review. In that there is no way to play 180 degrees different soccer under the same coach, the coaches will expect a stronger organizational power and a stronger one-team spirit than last year.