“It’s a pity.”
FC Seoul’s ‘living legend’ Ki Seong-yong (34) felt sorry for the sluggish performance of his ‘old rival’ Suwon Samsung. Ki Sung-yueng took his first steps in the K-League in 2006 in a Seoul uniform. After experiencing the overseas stage, he returned to Seoul in 2020 and is playing as the core. Ki Sung-yong played 162 K-League games in Seoul alone. He is the face that represents Seoul.
On the 22nd, Ki Sung-yong played another match against Suwon Samsung wearing a Seoul uniform. He wasn’t in perfect shape. However, he entered the field with a sense of responsibility. Ki Seong-yong said, “(Participation) I had a lot of worries. I trained for two days. It was more meaningful because I got good results. A lot of spectators came. I think it was a fun super match for the first time in a long time. It seems to be more,” he said. On this day, Seoul won 3-1 in front of 30,186 spectators.
Ki Sung-yong could not smile widely despite Seoul’s complete victory. It was because of the situation of rival Suwon. The two teams are rivals representing the K-League. This is the reason why the modifier ‘super match’ is attached to the confrontation between the two teams. However, the situation in Suwon that day was not good. Suwon fell into a slump after opening without recording a single win. In particular, ahead of this game, he had a superpower to sack coach Lee Byeong-geun.
He said, “When I analyzed Suwon’s game this year, I don’t think it’s a team that should be at the bottom in terms of performance. There seem to be a lot of injured players. It seems that there are several confusing parts. We had a similar experience last year,” he said.
He continued, “Anyway, I think it should go up just looking at the performance. A team called Suwon has had many good performances in the history of the K-League. Even when I look at it, the regrettable part seems to be right.”
Seoul and Suwon formed lineups with national team players in the past. They even fought over the championship cup. However, the situation for both teams in recent years has not been good. Ki Sung-yong did not forget the memory of that time. That’s why the situation in Suwon didn’t feel like someone else’s business.
Ki Seong-yong said, “Seoul and Suwon seem to be like that. From what I’ve seen, the fan base is thicker and more passionate than any other team. The pressure that comes from there is enormous. I think it’s difficult if the players aren’t mentally strong to play in Suwon and Seoul. When Suwon and Seoul competed for the championship, there were many representative-level players when looking at the players. In the end, how much can you overcome the burden and pressure on the club and play?”안전놀이터
He said, “I think that’s part of why we’ve been through difficulties over the past few years. I think Suwon players are also facing a lot of pressure now. It’s a pity. That’s something the players have to overcome. Seoul and Suwon seem a little special. “I don’t mean to disparage other teams. I think the pressure from Seoul and Suwon is stronger.”
Seoul faces Gangwon FC on the 26th. He said, “I think the balance has improved this year. It seems to be better than last year in set play. It seems to be a game that can bring results. There were difficult parts in the past few years because I couldn’t bring results. High position I think we should be able to fight in. I think the players can also let go of the pressure and play more exciting football. We are not at that stage yet. We need to accumulate points one by one. Bringing results rather than content I think it’s important right now. If we do well, a lot of fans will come.”