Juninho Rocha interview: "No one gave us any credit!"

Best 11 nominee Juninho Rocha has enjoyed a stunning season at the unfancied club from South Chungcheong Province. But now's not the time for backslapping and high 5's... Chungnam Asan are chasing an unlikely promotion. Daegu FC stand in the way of a miracle.

When Juninho Rocha swapped Solteo for Yi Sun-sin on January 18th, he couldn't possibly have imagined the fairytale season that would later unfold. At Gimpo, the Brazilian winger scored three and assisted twice during his 29 appearances in green. Gimpo finished third, qualifying for the play-offs, but their promotion dream died in Gangneung.

Juninho started all three games in the post-season (the 2-1 win over Gyeongnam to secure their place in the relegation/promotion decider, and then the two-legged affair with Gangwon FC). Gimpo held the K League 1 outfit to a scoreless draw in Solteo, and were locked at 1-1 in the return before Victor Gabriel preserved Gangwon's status with a late winner.

Heartbreak. And the closing of the Gimpo chapter.

He probably figured his chances of another promotion tilt were over when Gimpo recruited the brilliant Kosovan Leonard Pllana from Jeonnam Dragons meaning Juninho headed south to Asan. In Gimpo's promotion campaign, Asan finished in 10th, 18 points off Gimpo in 3rd and 15 adrift of the final play-off spot.

"I always believed in the club's project for this year, that's why I came," the talented forward admits. "But I was really surprised, and I believe everyone was. No one gave us any credit! However, we showed that football is played on the field, not with opinions from outside. Our goal has always been to be among the top 5 and to be able to compete in the playoffs."

The lack of respect many pundits showed towards Asan at the beginning of the season could be all the fuel the club needs to fire them past Daegu FC in a two-legged playoff decider this week. Pin the words on the dressing room wall. But there is a reason why Asan were so unfancied.

Chungnam Asan don't have much history to speak of, but they've always been a middling second division side in an unglamorous location at the end of Metro Line 1. Between weekdays 20 and 39 in 2023, the final weekend, Asan were in 10th or 11th. It was as tepid and unexciting a season as one come imagine.

But changes were taking place. Park Dong-hyuk was the only manager Asan ever knew, however he swapped Asan for Gyeongnam. It felt like a step up. It turned into a nightmare. In stepped 56-year-old Ulsan HD legend Kim Hyun-seok, without any frontline managerial experience. Kim cut his coaching teeth at his beloved Ulsan, before moving to high schools and universities. He was on the pay-roll at Asan for two season when someone decided he should be the manager.

To make matters worse, Asan would begin the season at the Suwon World Cup Stadium. The Bluewings, still reeling from their shocking relegation the previous winter, were expected to stroll through the second tier. Suwon lost a man early, but Fejsal Mulic saved their blushes. Asan were beaten 2-1 by 10 men, but they had their moments. Juninho, in particular, tore his famed opponents apart.

Fast-forward to early November. Chungnam Asan's comprehensive 4-1 win in Cheongju, coupled with Seoul E-Land's surprise thrashing at the hands of Jeonnam Dragons, elevated Juninho's side to 2nd in the table when the music stopped. Chungnam Asan runners-up? How could this possibly have happened?

Juninho isn't the sole reason for Asan's meteoritic rise up the K League 2 table, but his 12 goals and eight assists in 36 games certainly helped. Juninho closed out the regular season with two goals and a man of the match performance as Asan steamrolled provincial rivals Cheongju on the final weekend.

Jose Pablo Monreal chipped in with four goals and two assists after swapping Suwon for Asan. Kim Min-gyu played his part with 13 goal contributions, by far his most prolific season since joining the club in 2022. 22-year-old Shin Song-hoon returned from military service to collect 10 clean sheets.

Juninho is adamant the squad is good enough to compete. "I believe that given the group we have, we have very high quality players!" Will this be enough to down a current K League 1 outfit? "It will be a difficult match, against a very high-quality team in Daegu, but I am confident. If we do a good job, I believe we also have a chance of winning."

The Cheongju game must feel like a life-time ago. The autumn has passed into winter, and Korea is currently blanketed under thick snow on the eve of the first leg. But the players used the time wisely. They didn't go on holidays or spend free time with their families. "We didn't have a vacation," Juninho states. "We traveled for a week to be able to prepare for the game in the best way possible."

This team-bonding has helped the squad dynamic. "The atmosphere among the players is good. We are happy with everything we did this season. Now there is one more step to enter the club's greatest history." Daegu better be ready.

"My condition is fine. I am healthy, and I have prepared in the best way for the game. I hope to play an excellent game with my teammates and seek promotion to K League 1."