Jeju United coach Nam Ki-il predicted the performance of Koo Ja-cheol (34).스포츠토토
In March of last year, Koo Ja-cheol returned to his former team, Jeju, after 11 years. He played for a long time in the German Bundesliga and made a mark in the national team, so K-League fans had high expectations.
However, the footsteps of Koo Ja-cheol were slow. Because he wasn’t fully prepared. It wasn’t easy to improve his physical condition because he hadn’t had winter training. In addition, the tight game schedule due to the World Cup eventually caused injuries.
Koo Ja-cheol reported his comeback goal in the Ulsan Hyundai match, which was the final game of the season. It was late, but it was a goal that made us look forward to the new season. His final performance was 9 games, 1 goal and 1 assist.
Ahead of this season, Koo Ja-cheol fully digested winter training. He worked through his training schedule from start to finish, step by step. Now, he is only waiting for the real Koo Ja-cheol to show his skills.
Coach Nam, whom I met at the Hana 1Q K League 1 Opening Media Day on the 20th, was also confident in Koo Ja-cheol’s revival. After warming up for his comeback season, he saw that he would follow the path of Lee Chung-yong (35, Ulsan) and Ki Sung-yong (34, FC Seoul), who soon showed a worthy reputation.
Manager Nam nodded and said, “Of course, my condition has improved so much that you can expect it.” At the same time, he said, “I trained steadily without rest, and I did well in winter training,” and affirmed, “My body condition has improved so much that fans can expect it.”
Manager Nam usually places two central midfielders. Koo Ja-cheol, Choi Young-jun, and Kim Bong-soo have Lee Chang-min, whose enlistment was delayed, and Lee Ki-hyeok, a freshman. In addition, Han Jong-moo, a resource under the age of 22 (U-22), is also a talent recognized by Koo Ja-cheol and Lee Chang-min. He has to find a way to maximize his power in happy troubles.
Director Nam, who said, “It’s a very difficult part,” laughed, “I want to write all of them.” He continued, “We have to think about the team, and depending on the opponent, there are things we have to do.”
Director Nam also expressed his intention to utilize Koo Ja-cheol’s versatility. He said, “This is something I’ve been thinking about lately,” and hinted that “Ja-Cheol Koo’s condition is very good and he can play a variety of positions, so I’m going to use it well.”
Lastly, Nam expected the influence of Koo Ja-cheol to unfold on the ground. He said, “I am a veteran player, so I have to think about physical arrangements.”