2024 Season Review: Daejeon Hana Citizen's same but different second season back

Daejeon Hana Citizen ended the 2024 campaign with just two defeats in 12 and by going unbeaten throughout Final B with four wins and a draw to seal survival. The Purples had sat bottom of the table when Hwang Sun-hong took over in the summer, so an eighth place finish represents a remarkable turnaround.

Sighs of relief with survival sealed in Round 37

Overall Record - 12 wins, 12 draws, 14 losses (48 points)

It was all about Daejeon's performances in the second half of the season which resulted in just two defeats in 12 from August onwards sealed survival, a six-point cushion over the bottom three, and a nine-point cushion over 12th.

Daejeon Hana Citizen finished eighth in K League 1 in 2024, the same as they did in 2023 - their first back in the top flight - and with the same number of wins (12). But the way the Purples clinched eighth place, and earned those 12 wins, was somewhat different, earning most in the latter half of the year instead of the first round robin as was the case in 2023. In 2023, the team earned enough points early on to, essentially, mean that relegation was never really likely. Six of their total 12 wins were picked up by Round 12 in 2023, but in 2024 it took the Purples until Round 27 to reach the same number. A slow start to the campaign saw Lee Min-sung depart as manager and Hwang Sun-hong take over.

A telling statistic is that Masatoshi Ishida ended the season as Daejeon's top scorer with six, and with the most goal contributions having also provided three assists in 15 appearances and 12 starts. The Japanese had left the club in the winter before only re-signing in July.

What Went Well

The appointment of Hwang Sun-hong raised a few eyebrows but he implemented a clear style of play - a high press with two false nine-type players in a 4-4-2. It was effective, too. Daejeon's wingers and two false nines pounced on dawdling centre backs and had a lot of success in scoring early in games. Teams must have known about this style of play, certainly as the season went on, but it was very hard to stop.

Summer recruitment went well, too. Nine players were signed plus there was the return of Kim Jae-woo from military service. Some signings turned out to be better than others, there was a bit of a scattergun approach, but what really helped Daejeon get over the line was the signings of Masatoshi Ishida, Bobsin, and Kim Hyeon-ug. Bobsin and Kim Hyeon-ug are bubbly and bright personalities who bring a lot of positivity to the dressing room, while Masa is the consummate professional. His work ethic will have rubbed off on some of the younger players. There was also the appointment of Japanese coach Tatsuma Yoshida who Hwang wanted to bring in as tactics coach. Daejeon have him to thank for their well-executed game plans.

From a statistical point of view, Daejeon had the third-highest expected goals against values in the division at 55.41 but ranked fourth for total goals conceded with 47. Having a solid defence, one which made the fourth-highest number of blocks and had the fourth-highest challenge intensity (duels, tackles, interceptions per 90) of 4.8, served them well. Shooting accuracy was good with 38.1% ranking Daejeon fourth overall.

What Didn't Go Well

A slow start to the season saw Daejeon pick up just one win in their first seven matches and two in 10. A change in tactics over the winter had seen then manager Lee Min-sung want to abandon the counterattacking style that'd served him well, in favour of a possession-based brand of football with an emphasis on building out from the back. This was built with Cho Yu-min in mind as the key centre back in this approach, a ball-playing centre half whose education as a forward player has served him very well as a modern central defender. But the Korean international left two weeks before the season, leaving the coaching staff with some rethinking to do. There was no discernable style for most of the time Lee Min-sung remained in charge.

Daejeon were playing catch-up throughout the whole season which meant that survival wasn't sealed until the penultimate match of the campaign. Daejeon weren't exactly prolific up front. A total of 344 shots was bar far the fewest and 43 goals scored was the fourth-lowest. Winter recruitment didn't go particularly well either with Hong Jeong-un, Kim Seung-dae, and Park Jin-seong in particular not living up to expectations.

Young Player of the Year

Yoon Do-young, winger

It took the teenager a while to be given a chance but he became an important player in the second half of the season. Yoon Do-young, who only turned 18 mid-way through the season, chipped in with one goal and three assists in 19 appearances. He helped make things happen for Daejeon, willing to press and harry and showed his proficiency in beating players with balance and poise.

Six players eligible for the U22 rule featured for Daejeon in 2024 with Yoon featuring the most. Lee Sang-min, on loan from Suwon Bluewings, featured 10 times, as did Kim Han-seo and summer recruit Kim Min-woo, Lee Jun-gyu eight times, and Lee Dong-won 11.

Team MVP

Lee Chang-geun, goalkeeper

Lee Chang-geun again, with special mentions for Kim Hyeon-woo who, if there was such an award, would win most improved. Masatoshi Ishida came in and his goals and assists kept Daejeon up, and Victor Bobsin's contributions cannot be ignored. But Lee Chang-geun's saves essentially meant Daejeon conceded 10 goals fewer than they perhaps ought to have done, as per stats by Opta. Lee wore the captain's armband more often than not this season too and is a real dressing-room leader. Lee faced the most shots in K League 1 with 161, one more than 2024 MVP Jo Hyeon-woo. He ranked second for total saves, only one fewer than Jo but played three games fewer, and ranked sixth for saves per 90 at 3.01, his saves with reflexes accuracy percentage was 63.87 to rank ninth in the league in that regards, and top for prevented goals. With Daejeon lacking a little bit of attacking prowess, certainly in the first half of the season, Lee's saves kept them competitive.

Kim Seung-dae, attacking midfielder

Kim Seung-dae seemed like the perfect veteran to bring in, to pass on his experience as a multi-time K League 1 title and FA Cup winner, but two goals and two assists is a bit of an underwhelming return for a player of Kim's standing. There also seemed to be attitude issues and perhaps a general feeling that he was doing Daejeon a favour by being there. That said, he did make 23 key passes - the most among the Daejeon players. Fitness issues may well have played a part with Kim limited to 26 appearances but only 14 starts, 1,517 minutes overall for an average of 58 minutes per appearance. Under Hwang Sun-hong, a manager he's worked with before, more can be expected from Kim Seung-dae next season.

Most Important Decision for the Off-season

Daejeon now need to look at the playing squad and be very careful in how they prepare for next season. A lot of senior pros are out of contract, some will certainly move on, but others should be given new deals due to their influence in and around the dressing room - Oh Jae-suk and Ju Se-jong being the two prime examples. The club has scrapped its B team which will inevitably lead to a lot of departures, and there's also the issue of military service for a handful of players, but a lot of players came in during the summer to add to an already bloated squad. There needs to be some trimming done but with caution and without rocking the boat too much. The experience and influence of Daejeon's older heads are what kept Daejeon in the top flight. It's expected to be a busy winter as Hwanghas said that he wants to expand his backroom staff as he thinks that 18 people is insufficient. He wants to specialise certain areas in terms of coaching and preparation.