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K League 1 Jeonbuk coach Petrescu "My ambition is to win" for 2024 season
Dan Petrescu, head coach of professional soccer's K League 1 Jeonbuk Hyundai, says the team has made good progress in strengthening its squad and is now looking to deliver results.
"We will go as high as we can," Petrescu said at a press conference at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Wednesday, a day before the first leg of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League round of 16 (ACL).
Jeonbuk will host the Pohang Steelers in the first leg of the round of 16 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Thursday at 7 p.m., with the second leg to be played away from home on Tuesday.
It will be the first official match of 2024 for both teams and Korean professional soccer. Jeonbuk, in its first off-season under Petrescu, will use the match to review its pre-season performance ahead of the 2024 K League 1 season, which kicks off in March.
"A big club like Jeonbuk always wants to win," said Petrescu, whose side finished last season in fourth place despite being considered the favorites to win the title. Fourth place is never good enough," he said, emphasizing that "my ambition is to win the title."
Jeonbuk brought in "K League veterans" Thiago and Hernandez in the winter transfer window, as well as international fullback Kim Tae-hwan from last season's champions and rivals Ulsan HD.
They also added international winger Kwon Chang-hoon, who was a key midfielder under former coach Paulo Bento, and Lee Young-jae, 토토사이트 who was a key midfielder for Suwon FC, to bolster their midfield.
"The club has been very supportive. I'm happy with the composition of the squad," said Petrescu, who used his first off-season in charge to put his stamp on the team.
"It wasn't a perfect off-season camp because there were injuries, international call-ups, etc.," Petrescu said, "but what I wanted to show was attacking football."
"It's always about the result. Even if you play defensively, you still have to win. That's how important it is," he added.
The first official opponent of the 2024 season is Pohang, a team that caused Jeonbuk heartache last season.
Jeonbuk faced Pohang five times last season and failed to win any of them.
The most bitter defeat came in the Korean Football Association (FA) Cup final.
With a 4-2 victory over Jeonbuk, Pohang lifted their first FA Cup trophy in 10 years and moved into a tie for first place on the all-time wins list. Jeonbuk, Pohang, and Suwon Samsung are tied with five titles apiece.
"Pohang is a tough opponent," Petrescu said. They finished second in the league last season, won the FA Cup, and had a good ACL group stage with five wins and one draw," said Petrescu. "They've changed coaches, but they're a tough team. The first game is always difficult, but we have prepared well and we will do well," he said.
"I hope that tomorrow the players will show that they deserve to wear the colors of the top team, Jeonbuk Hyundai," he added.