"I don't want to just survive in K League 1. I want to be playing at the top of the table." | OneFootball

After a brilliant start to K League 1, FC Anyang have spectacularly come off the rails in recent months. The team is losing close matches every week, despite playing well on almost every occasion. Anyang midfielder Kim Jeong-hyun sat down with K League to tell us that sometimes all you need is a little bit of luck.

I met Kim Jeong-hyun on the eve of Anyang's round 26 clash with Pohang Steelers. There was a definite air of tension lingering over Anyang Stadium. Anyang are not terrible, but they've forgotten how to win. Or draw. It is the worst-case scenario for a team and the coaches.We're playing well, but nothing is going right. Why?

"Luck. It is luck." Kim responds to my question about why his team can't turn solid performances into more points. I couldn't tell if he was serious or if he didn't want to reveal more. He would later expand on other issues facing Anyang, but this is what he settled for initially. Is he wrong? At the start of the season, most observers believed Anyang were too good to go down automatically, but an old squad shy of top-flight experience would mean a relegation battle was a certainty. I predicted 9th, above Suwon FC, Jeju SK, and Daegu FC.

His team were definitely unlucky against Jeonbuk the previous round, but, as Kim said, "small mistakes" are mounting, alongside Lady Luck's absence, that are contributing to the team's poor run of results.

"The weather is very difficult for us because it is very humid and hot. Before May, there was no problem. We were seeing results. But since the start of June, it has changed. Small things. Sometimes we make a small mistake. It isn't something big. Not a big problem. But lots of small things. As you know, we lost by one goal. Many times like that. I think we are not physical like the other teams. These are the reasons why."

The concession of the first goal in a match is a regular theme. Only once this season have the Violets come from behind in a game to earn all three points. "We must try to find out why we lost the first goal. We must find the balance between defending and shooting because we are losing the first goal."

But in my opinion, there is a deeper concern.

Former Premier League defender Damian Delaney was on a podcast this week discussing Manchester United's loss to Arsenal. He made one observation that immediately made me think of Ryu Byeong-hoon, Anyang's manager. "What's worse for a manager? Playing badly and winning, or playing well and losing? Absolutely, it is losing. At least if you play poorly and win, you can say we dug it out. But to play well and come away with nothing? Where do you go next?"

Anyang are playing well. Losing one game can happen. Two is annoying but not unexpected for a promoted team. Three times is worrying. Anyang, however, have lost five of their last six matches, and four have been by a single goal. They're losing to teams at the top, middle, and bottom of the table. All by the same margin. Ryu has tried to make a few changes, such as playing defender Thomas in an advanced central attacking role, but the results have not been forthcoming.

The season started for the Violets on February 16. To date, they've lost 15 matches (only Daegu have tasted defeat more often), but 40% have come since June 22. The only positive result in that spell was a 4-0 drubbing of Daegu. Anyang led against Suwon FC away, only to lose 2-1. They had Jeonbuk on the ropes in the final 15 minutes at Jeonju Castle, only to concede a late, scrappy goal. Story of the summer.

Preparing to face a free-kick when Daegu were demolished last month.

Anyang would go on to lose 1-0 to Pohang in front of 8,122 fans. Lee Ho-jae capitalized on a 4 on 1 overlap in the sixth minute for the only goal of the game. Anyang huffed and puffed for the remainder, but never really threatened Hwang In-jae in the Pohang goal. Instead, Kwon Gyeong-won was dismissed on 86 minutes, and the match petered out. I thought it was deflating. You expect a team desperately battling relegation to throw the kitchen sink at the opposition. Pohang, however, saw it out with minimal fuss.

Several times over the course of this interview, when we discussed Anyang's recent run, there were long pauses between questions and answers. Kim, now 32 years old, also reiterated the point that matches are rarely 90 minutes now, but sometimes over 100. I left this section of the interview not entirely convinced Anyang are capable of turning this around. However, time is on their side. A top-six push is beyond the team, and the focus now should be on avoiding relegation at all costs. It is a good squad, with plenty of lower K- League 1 and K League 2 experience. Kim is one.

The Seoul-born midfielder began his professional career in the second tier of Japanese football with Oita Trinita. The club came close to promotion in his first season there, but naturally, Kim found minutes difficult to come by. His most productive season was his final one, in 2013, when he played almost 1,000 minutes in J2 League. With his contract expiring, Kim decided to return home. Newly established Gwangju FC the first stop. Gwangju were in the top tier, but Kim again found himself struggling for game time.

Kim, second from right, during his Busan days.

"When I played in Japan, I didn't get much game time. But I learned a lot from my time there. I learned how to control the ball and how to control the pace of a game. They also taught me how to control my confidence and the condition of my body. How they trained was also very important. Before and after training. These are important aspects of being a player, and I could bring them to Korea to help the younger players."

"Because of my experience in Japan, I became very familiar with the concepts of relegation and promotion, which are very important here, too."

His career appeared to take off when he moved down a division to join Seongnam FC. Kim played a central role in the club's promotion back to the top flight, featuring 30 times. His game time again diminished once in K League, so after 2019, he signed with Busan I-Park. Approaching what should have been the prime of his career, Kim had seen very little football until getting a shot on the south-east coast. Midway through 2022, he moved again. This time to FC Anyang, where he experienced promotion last winter.

The midfielder believes his "favorite position is as a number six, but I like to drop in as a centre-back role, too." In the first few months of 2025, this was crucial. Thomas and Kim Dong-jin were given license to maraud forward, knowing Kim would cover in behind.

"When I played K League 1 with Gwangju, the physicality was very raw. It was difficult for me. I didn't have much confidence. But that has changed now. I have plenty of experience in K League 1 and 2, so my confidence has grown. Also, physically, I think I am in perfect shape. Better even than last year. And in Gwangju. So adjusting to that was a different thing."

Kim poses for photographs during the club's march to K League 1 promotion last term.

Of the new recruits, Kim speaks highly of Dutch defender Thomas. "I learned many things from Thomas. For example, my mental. How to control my mind. Because he's a multi-position player, it is similar to me. When I watch Thomas changing positions or moving into different areas, I try to play like him."

Naturally, relegation - should it arrive - will precipitate seismic change at the club. Thomas, Mota, and even manager Ryu Byeong-hoon will be courted. Kim, likewise. There is some surprise in the Anyang camp that their number 8 hasn't received a call-up for national team squads yet. Naturally, he would like to represent his country, but I sense he's not sure that will happen now. "My main ambition is to play in the Asian Champions League (ACL) because I've never played in the ACL. I really want to do that before I retire."

"I don't want to just survive in K League 1. I want to be playing at the top of the table."

That last line is telling. A hugely popular figure around the club, but to realize those dreams, it is difficult to see how Anyang can make them happen, just yet.