Byun Sung-hwan needs a win now more than ever | OneFootball

There are no indications that Byun Sung-hwan's tenure as Suwon boss is under threat, but if the club is serious about its playoff aspirations, ghosts need to be exercised in Mokdong this weekend. Suwon are in danger of slipping into the chasing pack like 2024. The opportunity to post a statement win in Sungui was lost. Sunday offers another chance.

The last time I saw a manager shuffle slowly, head bowed, into the post match press conference was Kim Do-heon following Jeonbuk's loss at home to Daejeon in late 2024. Usually after a grilling from locals hacks, managers can't wait to leave the press conference and return to the comforts of the dressing room. Kim carried the impression of a man who had run out of ideas as he exited in slow motion. As it turned out, he was unable to prevent the ignominy of a relegation playoff, but Jeonbuk would survive. Kim didn't.

The press conference

Byun Sung-hwan carried the same demeanor on Saturday evening. Silence fell across Incheon's media room as the Suwon manager entered. He looked beaten, weary, and, as we were about to find out, very bitter. He sat down and immediately drank from a bottle of water. Normal protocol in Korea is for the host Media Officer to introduce the managers, then they make a statement. Following that, the journalists can ask questions.

After sipping from the bottle, Byun shuffled awkwardly in his chair. He knew the next move was his but after a crushing 2-0 defeat to Incheon, in which two of his most experienced players picked up needless red cards, the Bluewings' manager struggled to think of what to say. It took an age but eventually he spoke. His statement was riddled with long pauses and a curious habit of playing with the mic. It is why some of his sentences came across really loudly and others were faint.

“I’m so angry. We would have won if we had fought with 11 against 11,” he opined. The manager continued that it was “a situation where I couldn’t do what I wanted. I’m so angry. As a player and coach, I have shed tears of joy since winning the championship, and I have cried because I was so upset, but after the game, I cried when I saw our fans cheering passionately."

His expression was that of an emotionally exhausted man. No surprise, given they'd lost. But the manner in which Suwon surrendered to Incheon was obviously gnawing at his soul. At 11 v 11, the game was in the balance. Suwon arguably edged it but neither side was dominant. Then Incheon were reduced to 10 men on the half hour. Byun reacted almost immediately. Kim Ju-chan was replaced by the electric Bruno Silva. Incheon responded in kind. Harrison Delbridge came on for striker Park Seung-ho. Incheon would line up with a 4-4-1 formation.

Bruno Silva came close to opening the scoring a minute after his introduction. Then the entire game was turned upside down. Within 120 seconds, Suwon's Lee Ki-jae was red carded. And now Suwon had a massive problem. They had made an attacking switch but Gerso Fernandez was given the space vacated by Lee's reckless red. The momentum shifted instantaneously. 10 v 10 Incheon were on top and everyone knew it.

If that was bad enough, Kwon Wan-kyu, already on a yellow card, departed for an early bath after using his arms to block a throw-in. It was shocking. How could a player with over 250 K League 1 appearances do that? You wouldn't expect to see such a dreadful lack of composure from a 10 year old. It was the most braindead red card I've ever seen.

The Bluewings shored up their defense, sacrificing two midfielders for Han Ho-gang and Lee Sang-min. Byun claimed he "talked a lot with the coaching staff about how to play the game. So I set up a 4-3-1 formation and narrowed the gap between Bruno Silva, Seraphim, and (Choi) Young-jun. I thought there would be a chance, but we gave up the first goal early." Was this one of many bad decisions the coach made on the day? The full backs were offered no protection for the entire second half.

As the second period kicked off, Incheon tore Suwon apart. 10 v 9 there was only going to be one winner. And so it proved. It must have been galling for Byun to stand in the gentle spring rain and watch his team fold in such extraordinary circumstances. The opening goal was a catastrophe. Replacement goalkeeper Kim Min-jun displayed a brazen lack of awareness, passing out from the back when the team was rattled and down to 9. Choi Young-jun was intercepted and Incheon scored. From that moment on, it was a matter of how many the home side would get.

Byun must also take some responsibility for the chaos on Saturday. His team selection was wrong from the outset. Incheon manager Yoon Jung-hwan made just one alteration from the side which beat Gyeongnam 2-0 on the opening day. Byun was forced into one - goalkeeper and captain Yang Hyeong-mo is injured - but there was no reason to change a back four which kept a clean sheet in Ansan, especially since the goalkeeper was absent. But out went Han Ho-gang and in came Kwon Wan-kyu. Bruno Silva, Suwon's best player in round one, was held in reserve for the opening 30 minutes, and Kim Ji-hyun just isn't a threat up front. If Stanislav Iljutcenko is capable of playing nearly 40 minutes off the bench, surely he's fit enough to start.

We need to talk about Kwon Wan-kyu

In that post-match press conference, Byun admitted “I haven’t talked to the two players yet (Lee Ki-jae and Kwon Wan-kyu).... In any case, the team suffered because of the two players. I want to say it clearly. Everything went down the drain because of the mistakes of the two experienced players. It shouldn’t happen."

As debuts go, this was as bad as it could possibly get. Kwon isn't the first player to be sent off on his first appearance, and he mightn't even be the first player to be sent off for two yellow cards in the first half on debut. But I'd like to believe he's the only player to be sent off in the first half on his debut for slapping the ball from sky to stop a quick throw in. The stupidity of his actions were breathtaking.

But what bothers me is Byun should have seen this coming. Kwon nearly scored an own goal in the first 10 minutes for a wild back pass. Then he was carded for an unnecessary shove on Stefan Mugosa in the box. Mugosa knew the defender was rattled. Kwon could have walked for a second yellow three times before his final indiscretion. Every time, Mugosa was in the referee's ear. Why didn't Byun recognize this was a debut from hell and remove Kwon for Han before he got another opportunity to do something idiotic?

Kwon's signing over the winter made sense. Suwon had the best defense in K League 2 but adding depth is important, especially when that player has experience. Saturday was Kwon's first appearance in K League 2. Having started his career with Gyeongnam, he's worn the shirts of Incheon United, Pohang Steelers, Sangju Sangmu, Seongnam FC, and FC Seoul. A journeyman pro, but one with 267 K League 1 games to his name. By no means a regular for Seoul last year, Kwon still made 26 appearances. Despite that, with Léo Andrade, Han Ho-gang, and Cho Yoon-sung on the books, Kwon doesn't need to be a starter.

Mokdong Graveyard

The man who replaced Yeom Ki-hun in the Suwon dugout approaches his 25th match in charge this Sunday. The same opposition toyed with Suwon last season. Seoul E-Land beat their illustrious rivals in all three games. The second of those matches led to Yeom's resignation and Byun's chance to lead this team. This is now the biggest game of his short Suwon career. Byun Sung-hwan simply can't afford another defeat, even though defeats are rare on his CV.

24 games, four defeats. Sounds good, doesn't it? The problem is, the record also reads 10 wins and 10 draws, for an overall winning percentage of 42%. Byun has collected 40 points from a possible 72. Spread out over an entire 36-game season, that's 15 wins, 15 draws, and six losses, for 60 points. Last season, 60 points was good enough for second. Suwon would probably take that if you offered it now. The previous year, 60 was Gimpo's total in third, 11 off the champions Gimcheon Sangmu. But here's another problem; In those 24 games, only 29 goals have been scored. That is nowhere near good enough, especially in this league. Suwon are now entering a third season were goalscoring is a major issue.

Suwon will be without Lee Ki-jae and Kwon Wan-kyu for Sunday's trip to Mokdong (unless Lee wins an appeal on his red card). That will allow U-22 player Lee Sang-min to start at left back and Han to return where he should have started. Kim Ju-chan will drop to the bench allowing Bruno Silva a run at his former club alongside Matheus Serafim and, hopefully, Stanislav Iljutcenko. Initially after Saturday's loss, I was disappointed with Suwon's midfield three of Choi Young-jun, Lee Min-hyeok, and Kang Hyun-mook, but they were far from the cause of the issues.

The mistake was removing two midfielders at the break but following a bruising battle, I expect Hong Won-jin to start, perhaps at the expense of Kang. There's no reason for any other changes.

Seoul E-Land have opened with a win and a draw against the clubs that finished directly above and below them in the table. Sunday's match will be their third home game of the year and they will fancy their chances of turning over a humbled Suwon side. It promises to be another glorious K League 2 occasion in the early spring sunshine. The question is whether Suwon and their long-suffering supporters can look forward to a brighter future, or are the dark clouds of winter still hovering overhead?