#DHFCvINC Writers' Chat Preview: Who comes out on top in this relegation six-pointer?

Daejeon Hana Citizen host Incheon United this Saturday in something of a relegation six-pointer. Daejeon sitting 10th know that a win would move them to within one point of ninth-place Incheon, while the Durumi know that another victory at Purple Arena will see them pull away from the relegation mire. To look ahead to Saturday's massive 2024 Hana Bank K League 1 Round 27 clash, Daejeon columnist Paul Neat sat down with his Incheon counterpart Luke Evans.

Paul asks, Luke answers

Paul Neat: How big of a result was that win over Jeju? It looked like it was heading for a draw, which would have meant Daejeon were only a point behind. Now it’s four…

Luke Evans: I think the result was important for several reasons. First, it was Choi Yong-geun’s first game as manager. Getting off to a good start with a new boss is crucial, and Jeju is never an easy place to go. Secondly, we’ve been struggling for goals and wins since Gerso got injured a couple of months ago, and our position in the league reflects that. Daejeon have been picking up points - perhaps in games where they weren’t expected to - and have done well recently. Mentally, I think the buffer between ninth and 10th place is significant for Incheon, and keeping it to at least four points is crucial.

PN: How worried are you about getting sucked into the bottom three? What worries you about the squad the most?

LE: I’m already worried about our league position and you’d have to be naïve to think Incheon aren’t now in a relegation scrap. I think, at some point in the coming weeks, we will see Incheon drop into the bottom three. I think it’s almost inevitable at this stage. I’m worried about the lack of goals in the squad and how the team will respond should we end up in the relegation places for a prolonged period of time. Hopefully, with Gerso coming back, and the new manager in place, we’ll be able to turn things around.

PN: Do you think the Jeju result will have an impact on how Incheon approach this game against Daejeon? It’s very much a six-pointer.

LE: It's definitely a six-pointer, and is as important for Incheon as it is for Daejeon. The performance and tactical setup against Jeju differed from how we’ve been playing for most of the season, and ultimately, we won the game. The team also played much better and looked to do more with the ball, rather than just being content with possession. You have to hope that this is an indication of how we will come to play for the rest of the season and perhaps tells you how we could have been playing all year.

This year, the football has been incredibly negative at some points, and abysmal at others. Compared to the last few years, I’m not sure what happened this season. However, the Jeju performance proves that we still have the ability. Players like Shin Jin-ho and M’Poku can offer good attacking passes. Choi Woo-jin and Kim Bo-seop are dangerous going forward, and Mugoša, when he’s in and around the box, can finish as well as anyone in the league. It seems the new manager recognises this and is looking to play to the players’ strengths. Hopefully, we’ll see more of this positive, attacking football at the weekend.

PN: Gerso is rumoured to be back but Delbridge is out, what sort of impact do you think this will have?

LE: Gerso has been out for a long time, and we’ve desperately missed him - not only his goals and assists, but also his speed, his ability to unsettle defenders, and his knack for creating chances out of nothing. We’re a much more dangerous team with him on the pitch, and it gives the opposition something else to worry about, rather than focusing solely on Mugoša. I’m not sure if he’ll play, but just seeing him in the squad will be a boost for the fans.

Delbridge getting injured is a big blow. He and Matej Jonjić have built a good understanding, and they work well together. The club announced that Delbridge could be out for six weeks, hopefully no longer. He’s going to be very important to the team during the run-in

PN: Score prediction?

LE: I think this could be the game when Daejeon break their duck. I’m going 2-1 to Daejeon.

Luke asks, Paul answers

Luke Evans: With Daejeon sitting in tenth despite a slow start has to be seen as a positive. How confident are you of Daejeon avoiding relegation, or even avoiding the playoffs?

Paul Neat: Much more confident after the Suwon FC win, that was massive. Also, what was more encouraging was the performance because Masatoshi Ishida and Bobsin were both excellent in midfield, Masa providing some attacking impetus - attacking impetus from midfield that had been sorely lacking - and Bobsin spraying passes and providing an option for the back line and trying to connect the defense to attack. It's also that time of the season when there's a fair bit of schadenfreude going on and we're looking at other team's results and praying for them to drop points. Daegu and Jeonbuk both losing last weekend and Daejeon winning was massive, and with Jeonbuk in particular finding it harder than most anticipated to get going, it has probably given Daejeon a bit of a boost. I think Daejeon have it in them to finish ninth or tenth but they need to be more consistent and show more character when going a goal down. They've only won one game after falling behind this season.

LE: Incheon haven't improved their squad over the summer, but Daejeon have made 10 signings. So far, are they bedding in and having an impact? Have they strengthened the right areas?

PN: They've strengthened pretty much all areas possible! I'd say that it's been a slow start for some, good starts for others. Because there have been so many new players coming in, few have really had a run of games to be able to make much of a lasting impact. Winger Choi Geon-ju, for example, has one assist and has been very good at using his pace to help Daejeon counter and also to get them up the pitch quickly, but he's been coming off the bench a bit. Masa's had fitness issues but played the full 90 against Suwon so looks like he'll be a regular now.

In terms of the incomings overall and the team's needs, pace and guile was needed on the wing (Kelvin and Kim Hyeon-wook), an attack-minded central midfielder (Masa), a link between defense to midfield and attack (Bobsin), a full back or two (Kim Moon-hwan), and generally just more quality up top in the absence of Gutek and a young lad called Cheon Seong-hoon addressed that, not sure if you've heard of him...

They've made some very good signings and now it's time for them to drag Daejeon out of this mess because the manager will be under pressure to deliver now. He has a huge squad now, 52 players in total. The downside in the long term is that you can't keep all of them happy but the upside in the short term is that if any aren't performing then there are replacements ready to go.

LE: Your recent form has been much improved over the first few months of the season. What have Daejeon changed since they changed managers?

PN: They've gone back to being a counterattacking team, using pace and attacking flair. They were obsessed with trying to build out of from the back earlier in the season but they just looked so slow and ponderous, it wasn't working at all. There was a persistence to keep playing Lee Soon-min and Ju Se-jong together in central midfield but they do a similar job. Ju Se-jong was suspended for the win over Suwon and they, sadly for him, seemed to do better without him. Bobsin who I mentioned earlier had a bit more energy, as well as the range of passing that Ju Se-jong possesses. Generally, they've just tried to be more attacking and quick to break forward.

LE: Daejeon and Incheon have traded lots of players over the years. Fans were sorry to see Cheon leave Incheon. How's he been doing and do you think he'll have an impact in this game? 

PN: Cheon Seong-hoon made an instant impact, scoring on his debut in a 2-1 win and then scoring a penalty to make it 2-1 in an eventual 2-2 draw against Jeonbuk after being 2-0 down. He's looked very, very good but has found himself on the bench of late, which is very odd. I think the manager wants someone who can defend from the front for the first 45, hence the inclusion of 34-year-old Gong Min-hyun, and then look at making some tweaks in the second half. Gutek is back fit now and so Cheon has some competition for that number nine spot. But managers in K League seem to purposefully pick players to start or feature in games against their old clubs, even if they haven't been in the team much leading up to the game. I think Cheon will feature at some point on Saturday, hopefully from the start because he is probably the ideal centre forward in the front three Hwang Sun-hong likes to play.

LE: Score prediction?

PN: Tough one. Daejeon's record against Incheon is really poor. I'll say 1-1 with Incheon scoring first.