[Recent News][6]

K League 1
K League 2
Classic
FC Seoul
Jeonbuk
Daejeon
Challenge
AFC
ACL
Korean National Football Team
Ulsan
Jeonnam
Interview
Busan
Incheon
Jeju
Podcast
Daegu
Seoul E-Land
Suwon
FA Cup
Transfers
KNT Men
K-League Classic
Gyeongnam
Gangwon
K League Challenge
Fans
Featured
Pohang Steelers
Ansan
Gwangju
Seongnam FC
Suwon Bluewings
Asan
Bucheon 1995
Gaming
Anyang
Suwon FC
Preview
Daejeon Citizen
Bucheon
KNT
Football Manager
Abroad
Sangju
Citizen
K League Classic
FM2018
From The Stands
Pohang
World Cup
Busan IPark
Awards
Korean national team
Gimcheon
Elimination Game
News
FIFA
KFA
Asian Cup
EAFF
FM2017
Events
KNT Women
Chungnam
Russia 2018
East Asia Cup
K3
Qatar 2022
Recap
FIFA16
K League All Star Game
Power Rankings
K4
playoffs
Chungbuk Cheongju
Away Days
CONIFA
Club World Cup
Busan Transport
Cheonan
Cheongju
Chungju
Goyang
Inter Korea
North Korea
Ulsan Citizen
Asian Games
Chiangrai United
Cho Hyun-woo
Gimpo
Goyang Citizen
K5
Mokpo City
National League
Pocheon
Russia 2020
SoRare
TNTFC
Yangpyeong FC
scouting

Dejan Damjanović - A typical K League pre-season

 


First arriving on the Korean peninsula in 2007 to sign for Incheon United, Dejan Damjanović has endured many a pre-season regime in his time preparing for action at four K League clubs. Now heading to Hong Kong's Asian Champions League competitors Kitchee, we caught up with Dejan to get his thoughts on pre-seasons gone by. Patreon subscribers can watch the full interview by clicking the link at the bottom of this article.

K League United: How did you find pre-season training in South Korea? Did you notice any changes from 2007 to 2020?

Dejan Damjanović: I must say, pre-seasons are always really strong in Korea. You need to be physically ready and run a lot so pre-season generally was always tough. I must say if you want to play in Korea you need to change your mind and focus on yourself and your body because otherwise it’s impossible to follow the rhythm of K League football.

Dejan acknowledging the fans at FC Seoul in 2017

KLU: Do players normally look forward to pre-season?

Dejan: To be clear, nobody likes pre-season. In my case, I will be 40 this year and actually I was missing training this winter. I know it’s going to be hard but I know it’s 10-15 days of hard work, then recovery and then after that you can enjoy the whole season. I think all professional footballers feel the same way about pre-season. It’s hard but everyone wants to start training and after a couple of weeks it’s done. Once the ball comes out you’re going to be happy. 

Dejan with 'father figure' Choi Yong-soo in 2016

KLU: Which K League manager worked you the hardest?

Dejan: The toughest pre-season I can remember was under Şenol Güneş at FC Seoul in 2008. We ran a lot. I had a really good relationship with Choi Yong-soo. He knew that he will train his players hard for five days but then that if he gives a couple of days rest then nobody will complain on Monday. The players understood this too. It’s very important even in pre-season to control the squad in the best way.

K2 Champ KLU Patreon subscribers can watch Dejan's full video interview, where he discusses pre-season and more here. Alternatively, you can listen to the audio here.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Start typing and press Enter to search

Featured