Dan Petrescu (55-Romania), the new head coach of professional soccer’s K League 1 Jeonbuk Hyundai, said he chose Jeonbuk because it was in South Korea.
“I received a proposal from Jeonbuk Hyundai’s technical director Park Ji-sung and others,” Petrescu said at a press conference held at Hyundai Motor Studio in Goyang on Thursday. “When I heard about Jeonbuk, I thought I had to go right away. It’s the biggest club in Korea and Asia,” he said. “We are determined to do well not only in the K League but also in the Asian Champions League (ACL).”
Petrescu played for prestigious European clubs such as Genoa (Italy) and Chelsea (England) as a player, and as a manager, he has won trophies with clubs in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
When asked what attracted him to Jeonbuk, Petrescu recalled playing an away game against the club under Zhang Xuaning (China), “I was very impressed with the facilities and the fan atmosphere, and I’ve been dreaming of coming to Jeonbuk since then. I have high hopes for Jeonbuk’s players.”토토사이트
Moving from team to team has been a source of anxiety. He made his debut as a coach in the Romanian league in 2003 and changed teams 17 times before coming to Jeonbuk. “Since Petrescu’s arrival, there has been a significant difference in the teams’ rankings,” said Park Ji-sung, who also appeared at the press conference. “Considering his experience in Asia, I thought he would be able to quickly solve the problems that foreign managers are bound to encounter when they arrive in the middle of the season.” He explained the reason for his appointment.
Jeonbuk, which was a pre-season favorite to win the title, suffered a disastrous start to the season, dropping to 11th in the standings, leading to the resignation of coach Kim Sang-sik early last month. They have since rebounded to fifth place, but the gap between them and leaders Ulsan Hyundai has widened to 17 points after 18 rounds. Petrescu said, “Becoming a champion is the ultimate goal. If not this year, then next year,” Petrescu said, adding, “We have a big gap with Ulsan, but it’s important to believe that we can do well.”
“To be a good coach, you need tactical ability and team management ability,” said Park Ji-sung, “and if I can’t have both, I’ll choose the latter. After all, it is the players who carry out the tactics. It’s important to win their hearts,” and looked forward to his leadership. “I want to take care of my players like my sons, I may be strict at times, but I like it when the fans call me ‘Danverge’,” Petrescu laughed.