Preview: Gangwon FC vs Busan IPark FC

NG! NG! NG! Take 2! Ready.... action! Is what I'm sure Busan fans and directors were thinking after last week's 1-3 tonking from Ansan. It was certainly a wake up call for anyone connected to Busan IPark (myself included) that the Challenge would be, well, not a challenge. Familiar problems like mistakes at the back, toothless in attack, and sloppy in midfield, were all present. I'm still willing to give Choi Young-joon more time to gel this new squad together, but if results and performances don't pick up soon, the axe may be wielded sooner rather than later.

Busan IPark

It will be curious to see whether Choi Young-joon shakes up his team selection following last week's iffy performance or if he maintains belief in his XI. Also will he stick with the 3-4-3 formation or revert to his favored 4-3-3 formation? To be honest I have no clue as the club and media have released virtually no information/reports since the last match.

3-4-3

If he sticks with the 3-4-3 it seems like their wouldn't be too many switches given the relative limits of player versatility. Perhaps U23 leftback Goo Hyun-joon would come in for Yoo Ji-hoon. Former Gangwon player Choi Seung-in or Serbian attacker Milos Stojanovic could replace Hong Dong-hyun at center forward. Lee Chung-woong also wasn't terribly impressive against Ansan, and could be switched out from the holding midfield role.

4-3-3

The 4-3-3 could see a similar change in personnel. I would expect one of Choi Seung-in or Stojanovic coming in at center forward and Hong Dong-hyun to shift over to a wing attacking spot. Samuel would likely move over to left back, and Lee Chung-woong or Kim Jong-hyuk would drop into central defense. The club's website indicates that Jung Seok-hwa could possibly come into midfield, which I suppose is possible.

Gangwon FC

I can't claim to know much of anything about Gangwon other than they lost 0-1 to Gyeongnam last week. The club is certainly not in a good place after the provincial government largely decided to stop funding the team. Glancing at their roster none of the players really stand out, so I won't really attempt to make any predictions about how they will line up other than provide Busan's possible XI for Gangwon.

Screenshot via BusanIpark.com

Implications from this Game

Two weeks in and I'm already ready to draw season-long implications from this match. Another poor showing/poor result, and this season could possibly be in great danger. Of course seasons are not won or lost after two results, but the team's faith and morale could be badly shaken. Ansan was second-bottom last season and hammered the team in Busan. Gangwon has virtually no money, and is clearly on a downward trend. Will the management continue to show faith in Choi Young-joon? Will the players? It's too early to fire him if things go wrong, but it feels like the trigger would fall sooner rather than later given the 'promotion or bust' expectations placed on the team.