Final A for Gangwon FC: Can they Win the K League 1 Title? | OneFootball

This time last year, Gangwon FC were deep in the midst of a fight for K League 1 survival, with just three wins to their name across the first 29 rounds. At best the situation was precarious, but one year on, the Bears are in a completely different position. With Final A already comfortably secured, columnist Nathan Sartain looks at the title challenge Gangwon find themselves a part of, and whether in fact Yoon Jong-hwan’s men could secure their first-ever piece of silverware by the end of 2024.

Picking up from wherethis piece left off, Gangwon were heading into the summer months full of confidence. Four consecutive wins had lifted them to fourth, competitive alongside the likes of Ulsan HD and Gimcheon Sangmu at the top of the table, and importantly comfortably clear from the teams below them. Final A now seemed a logical, attainable target, with a push for AFC Champions League qualification firmly in the question too.

And, bearing that in mind, Gangwon continued to feel the confidence flowing, and when returning to league action beat Suwon FC 3-1 at home in a performance that very much felt like a mission statement of their wider ambitions. There, the Bears created an xG of 1.86 from 19 shots, had six counter-attacks, 17 positional attacks, and won 44 of their 72 defensive duels in a performance of ruthless efficiency, where second-half goals from Yago Cariello and Yang Min-hyuk blew their opposition out of the water shortly after Suwon had found themselves an equaliser.

Although only temporarily, Gangwon would get a taste of what it was like to lead the league table that week too, surely realising in the process that they had the required quality to truly push their adversaries to the limit when it came to the all-important quest for silverware come the end of November.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Following a Korea Cup exit to FC Seoul, Gangwon would lose back-to-back league matches. The first, a 3-2 defeat to Gimcheon Sangmu, highlighted defensive issues for the Bears, the backline unable to cope with the military side’s extended pressure. Then, a 2-0 loss to FC Seoul was a rare off-day, a blunt performance providing a low margin of error that appealed to a clinical, improving capital city side.

So, perhaps another tactical rethink was needed. After all, the Bears were consistently leaking goals, even when playing well defensively, so a greater emphasis on securing the backline would do no harm, especially in the short term.

Re-Establishing Form

As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened. In back-to-back clean sheet victories against Incheon United and Gwangju FC, Gangwon would deploy somewhat of a defence-first approach, limiting their opponents to low-quality chances - they would concede a total of six shots on target across both matches - and sitting deeper to combat being caught on the counter (a vulnerability the team has had this year). Once again, Yoon Jong-hwan had quickly adjusted to a change in circumstance, unafraid to temporarily trade on-field aesthetics for grinding out wins. With that being said, following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Pohang Steelers, and a hardworking comeback draw away to Daejeon Hana Citizen, Gangwon would quickly opt for a return to their free-flowing tendencies, and instantly reap the benefits.

For example, in a 4-0 win against Jeju United, the Bears would create an xG of 2.46 from their 19 shots, 30 positional attacks, and 39 accurate passes to the final third, while making 14 high recoveries, 28 interceptions, and winning 44 of their 58 defensive duels in what may be regarded as the team’s most compete performance of the season. Then, riding a high from the buzz around his imminent transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, teenage wingerYang Min-hyuk would play an important part in Gangwon’s 4-2 victory at home to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, providing a goal and assist, before Kim Kyung-min stole headlines with a terrific performance from off the bench, one which saw him notch a brace.

Add into the mix a 2-1 comeback victory away at Gimcheon Sangmu, and a high-octane 3-2 win over Gwangju which saw Gangwon take 10 shots on target, create an xG of 2.47, and come from two goals down to secure the points, and the Bears had solidified themselves not just as top-four contenders, but as a club sitting at the top of the table, undoubtably in the mix for the K League 1 title. So much so, that a recent 2-0 defeat to FC Seoul, and 2-2 draw against Suwon FC has refused to budge the Bears, who have now secured a minimum of a Final A finish ahead of the regular season run-in.

Breaking Records

Furthermore, Gangwon have been breaking records. Firstly, their 15 wins is the most the team have ever achieved across a K League 1 season, while the 51 points the Bears have totalled is their highest-ever points tally over the course of a top-flight campaign too. Both of these statistics are a testament to the job Yoon Jong-hwan has done in making a previously relegation-threatened squad competitive, tactically versatile, and able to take on games with a sense of consistent confidence and unwavering resilience.

With plenty of football to play, Gangwon will now be aiming to accomplish their highest K League 1 finish (previously sixth), and are on course to comfortably break the most amount of goals they’ve ever scored in a first division season (59, with 53 goals currently scored).

Going Forward: Can Gangwon FC Win the K League 1 Title?

The question everyone will be asking, though, is if this Gangwon team really can win the K League 1 title. And, while the obvious answer is yes, because it’s mathematically possible and the club currently sit in first place, there are some initial considerations to be made.

For starters, once the league splits into two, Gangwon will exclusively face the rest of the top-half, a task which has yielded mixed results over the course of the regular season. At the time of writing, their record against Final A opposition is four wins, two draws, and seven losses, which totals just 27% of their current points haul of 51. Add to that the fact the Bears’ next two matches are away trips to Ulsan HD and Pohang Steelers, two teams they notoriously struggle on their travels to, and the above tale of varying fortunes against direct competitors could potentially turn into more of a defined question mark.

But equally, you cannot write Yoon Jong-hwan’s men off. There have been a couple of occasions when form has dipped for Gangwon, only for it to sharply turn around, and at two separate points this year the Bears have enjoyed significant winning streaks. So, for as much as their record against their top-half rivals isn’t glowing, it’d be foolish to rule out the provincial club's prospects at finding ways to get themselves over the line, like they did in August’s statement victory away at Gimcheon Sangmu, where Lee Sang-heon recaptured his goalscoring touch with a fantastic double to bring the points back to Gangneung.

Now that a Final A finish is already secured, this is the perfect chance for Gangwon to play without pressure, and prove themselves one final time. No matter what the 2024 season has been a success - the record breaking can attest to that - but why not go one or two better? There’s plenty to suggest Yoon Jong-hwan and his team have the mentality within them to do what would have previously be unthinkable, so fans can and will dare to dream of either silverware and/or continental qualification, as cliché as it may sound.