"Players improve out of sight year-on-year!" - Is Lee Jung-hyo a football genius? | OneFootball

Lee Jung-hyo has guided Gwangju FC to their first-ever domestic cup final. The club has been on an upward trajectory since the one-club Busan defender took over in 2021, and now silverware is tantalizingly close. Not much is known of Lee outside Korea, but the way current and former players speak of him, that's all about to change.

When one thinks of Gwangju, the biggest city in Korea's Jeolla Province, football is probably far from their minds. The city (and province) has an extraordinary food culture, beautiful mountains, and the nation's best coastlines and beaches are within an hour's drive. Gwangju was also the setting for a brutal uprising in 1980, which effectively paved the way for democracy and the country we know today.

On the field, Gwangju is baseball country. The local KIA Tigers are the most successful baseball club, with a perfect 12/12 record in the Korean Series. In the heart of the city, Korea's unofficial baseball academy sits next to the Gwangju stream. Gwangju Jae-il High School has produced more Major League Baseball players (4) than any equivalent school in Asia. The production line shows no sign of abating. Even though reigning KBO MVP Kim Do-young and Hanwha Eagles' franchise star Moon Dong-ju didn't go to Jae-il, they're from Gwangju, and are tipped to make it in the big time.

Except for Busan, there's no other city in Korea where the divide between baseball and football is so colossal. But that's about to change. Because south of the city, about 6 km from the baseball shrine called Gwangju KIA Champions Field, something is stirring in a park next to Pungam-dong. The local football city are through to a maiden cup final. Trophies tend to reside at Champions Field. Gwangju FC are looking to change that.

"Beware of barking at underdogs; don't fight with people who have nothing to lose."

The mastermind behind their enthralling rise to the top table is 50-year-old manager Lee Jung-hyo. Lee built a solid career in K League with Busan IPark, the only club he represented as a player. After retiring in 2009, Lee cut his cloth in management at Ajou University before joining Jeonnam Dragons as an assistant manager on New Year's Day, 2015. Then Gwangju, Seongnam, and Jeju SK came calling. As an assistant, mostly for two seasons, and usually under Nam Ki-il.

Manager Lee is "both cold-headed and passionate," according to Ha Seung-un.

A prominent local journalist, who sought anonymity, told me that "although Gwangju has unique potential, it has never been a strong team in the K-League. No one envisioned a future like now, especially at the start of the 2022 season in K-League 2. However, many soccer officials who are interested in coaches who are not college football coaches or K-League coaches thought Lee Jung-hyo could change Gwangju because he stood out in terms of tactics when he was the head coach of Ajou University, Seongnam, and Jeju."

The reporter continued that "coaches want expensive players, or players who are good but cheap. However, Lee Jung-hyo said that he wanted a player who could understand his soccer well. When the list of players was selected, the club brought in a player that the club could afford after that. If there is a player who wants to grow, not chase a big annual salary, he contacts the player himself and suggests his vision. Players such as Lee Kang-hyun and Park Tae-joon."

What are those tactics? "In particular, it is impressive to have the center back who handles the ball the best in the modified three-back system to own the ball for a long time or to dribble it boldly forward to blur the opponent's formation. I think the numerical advantage tactic using forward pressure and opposite-footed full-backs is also a tactic that can work overseas beyond the K-League."

Gwangju's automatic relegation at the end of 2021 opened the door for Lee's first head coach opportunity. He signed a few days after Christmas, and there he still remains. Promotion was achieved immediately, followed by a third-placed finish in K League 1, a scarcely believable run to the AFC Elite quarter-finals, a Korea Cup semi-final appearance, and now a final, against Jeonbuk Motors, on Saturday, December 6.

Constant improvement, season after season. Their destiny is to lift a trophy.

Gwangju-born Ha Seung-un returned to his hometown club during the promotion campaign in 2022. The forward played 30 times that season and has now established himself as a first-team member in the top division. Ha believes that Lee has such "strong resolve that it feels like even if you pricked him with a needle, not a drop of blood would come out." The manager is "both cold-headed and passionate."

Ha celebrates a goal in front of his home fans.

Highly-experienced midfielder Ju Se-jong swapped an upwardly mobile Daejeon Hana for Lee's Gwangju in February. The former K League 1 champion has represented his country 31 times, togging out for Busan IPark, FC Seoul (where he won the title), and Daejeon. Before arriving in Daejeon, Ju played for Gamba Osaka.

There were options on the table when deciding to leave Daejeon, but working under Lee was "one of the reasons I chose Gwangju." With key departures in most areas of the field since promotion, Ju was the perfect fit for the club. And despite playing at the highest level, he was keen to learn more. " I’ve been playing football for a long time, but the approach here is different from what I’ve experienced before, so every time feels like a new experience."

Central defender Aaron Calver also joined Lee's promotion charge from K League 2 in early 2022. Promotion was not a formality. FC Anyang were building the squad that's now competitive in K League 1. Daejeon Hana Citizen were also in the second tier, alongside Korea Cup champions Jeonnam Dragons. Gwangju started slowly but climbed to the summit after round 9. They went top again after round 12, locking down first spot for the remainder of the season.

In the end, they secured their place in the top division with 12 points to spare, losing just four of 40 matches. Australian defender Calver was impressed. "He is a very demanding coach," Calver points out, "but 99% of the time it’s justified. I believe he only wants the best for the players. I have had coaches like it in the past. However, I feel he’s far more methodical as every demand has a clear purpose."

Calver stayed with the team when they rejoined K League 1. Remarkably, Lee guided Gwangju to third. Nobody saw this coming. The 29-year-old, now at Seoul E-Land, is adamant that this two-year spell under Lee changed him forever. "He definitely improved my game - especially with the ball in buildup play. I saw many players year on year improve out of sight with him. I guess with Gwangju not having a huge financial backing, they cannot afford the best players, so the fact they have been so successful is saying something."

Ha "absolutely agrees" when I ask him if players under Lee's watch show improvement. "I, too, get a lot of inspiration from the coach. Other coaches I know often ask me about him, which I think shows just how much attention he is receiving in Korean football. I believe he has opened a new era of learning for Korean football coaches."

Hólmbert Aron Friðjónsson didn't know what to expect when he left Germany for Gwangju, but the big striker is loving his time in Korea.

Icelandic international striker Hólmbert Aron Friðjónsson joined in the summer from Germany. "The passion he brings," Friðjónsson stresses. "He wants to do everything in detail. Every tactic he goes through, there's a lot of information, because he wants everything to be perfect. I think he's a really promising coach, and he's always learning himself. Outside of the pitch, he's a really nice guy. He's really positive. Inside the pitch, it changes a little bit," he chuckles, "but only in a good way. He wants the best."

“Work hard in silence, let success make the noise.”

From the outside, the manager has become a more mature figure when dealing with the media. Controversy followed him during the early seasons in K League 1, from lamenting FC Seoul's style of football under An Ik-soo, to openly pondering what Dan Petescu's salary was at Jeonbuk Hyundai. He didn't have credit in the bank yet to comfortably ride the backlash, even if some neutral observers agreed with him. These days, he has become a more polished figure in the press rooms. But what about on the training ground and in the changing room?

"It’s already my fourth year working with the coach," Ha recalls. "During the first three years, he used to get really angry a lot. But these days, instead of yelling, he just quietly observes and shares encouraging words." The forward struggles to keep the smile from his face. "Strangely enough, that’s even scarier. Among the players, we often wonder,'Is he angry, or is he in a good mood?' That tension ultimately makes us work even harder on the pitch."

Ju goes into more detail. "He doesn’t say much about the challenging mistakes players make on the field or in training," when I ask what the training and half-time environment is like. "But he accurately spots the tactical aspects the team requires, individual qualities, and habitual shortcomings, and gives players feedback on them. Many players have been trying to improve by receiving such feedback."

The midfielder reckons "the overall framework doesn’t change much, but he analyzes the opponents and instills slightly different details into us every week." And to slam home the point from a 34-year-old veteran, "In fact, the easiest and fastest way for players to deliver good performances on the pitch is to prevent the opponent from doing what they’re good at and to play to our own strengths. Coach Lee Jung-hyo is the one who teaches that the best."

There's a pattern to these conversations. Some of the same adjectives keep appearing. Friðjónsson spoke to me after the Korea Cup semi-final win in Bucheon. "Everyone is willing to work hard and develop themselves as a team. It's a really good environment to be in. We have a really good coach as well. He demands a lot. It's not easy sometimes. He can be tough on you, but I think it is good also. It is an environment where people are getting better and want to get better."

Calver may have moved on, but he has fond memories of his experience in Jeollanam-do. The quick promotion and inconceivable third-placed finish provided for a fairytale straight from the Disney playbook. It wasn't always easy, but the rewards are obvious. "I believe it was because of how we trained. The training sessions were sometimes quite long, but when it came to game day, every player knew exactly where to be and what to do in any different situation."

Aaron Calver, during his Gwangju day,s tackles Suwon's An Byung-jun.

Naturally, the environment around the club is healthy. "The senior players make sure to approach the younger ones in a friendly way," Ha goes on to say. "What I’ve felt during my four years at Gwangju FC is that the atmosphere has never been overly good or bad; we’ve always prepared steadily for the season and played our matches. I think this consistency is one of Gwangju FC’s biggest strengths."

One of the senior players is Ju. "Although we’ve achieved an impressive record of four wins and one loss in the last five matches, not a single teammate realized it until after the Jeju game (August 30). That shows how much we feel we still lack in individual and team play, rather than focusing on victories. We’re eager to work harder so that we can play our football against any opponent. Under a coach who is more passionate about football than anyone. I think the players are really growing."

That win in Jeju forms part of a grueling schedule for Gwangju. The next three weekends this month are up north, against Suwon FC (14th), FC Seoul (21st), and FC Anyang (28th). By the time they return to the City of Light for the visit of Daegu on October 4th, it will have been 41 days since their last home match.

According to Ha, "the coach always encourages us to have big dreams. Since he values the process and growth more than results, we naturally get to grow a lot as players. Also, because he himself is always studying and researching, we as players are motivated to study and work harder too."

"The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it."

Lee was heavily linked with the vacant Jeonbuk Hyundai job last winter. In the end, the club opted to hire Gus Poyet. The former Uruguay international is only seven years older than Lee, but he has a wealth of managerial experience on three continents, including a spell in international football with Greece. Despite Lee's impressive profile, Jeonbuk will be satisfied with their choice. The club are well clear at the top of K League 1, and will face Lee's Gwangju in the Korea Cup final.

Should Gwangju go on to win that final, having lost - wait for it - Jasir Asani, Heo Yool, Calver, Eom Ji-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Soon-min, to name a few - in recent seasons, would constitute a major achievement. If he hasn't already done so, Lee will be regarded as the club's greatest ever manager. They may still be talking about his achievements a century from now. "The atmosphere among the players is actually like a real family, despite what it might look like from the outside," Ha concluded.

Calver doesn't expect Lee to stay in Korea forever. "For me, I think it’s only a matter of time before he moves on," Calver opines. "I would love to see him coach abroad, and from what I remember when I was there, he always had the ambition to do so. We have all seen what he has produced with a small budget club, so it’s very interesting to see what he could do with a bigger budget and better players."

That could have been Jeonbuk - or even Ulsan when Kim Pan-gon was expelled - but it appears that Japan, the Middle East, or even China could be the next step in Lee's managerial story. My media colleague continues, "I believe Lee's tactical capabilities can work overseas as well." Why? Because he's a student of the game and a quick learner.

"Lee has displayed good performances and results against strong Asian teams, including Johor Darul Ta'zim, Vissel Kobe, and Kawasaki Frontale in the ACLE. He is also highly capable of understanding trends in overseas tactics by referring to matches of Brighton and other overseas teams, and applying them to his or her own team."

Ju Se-jong had offers but chose Gwangju because of Lee Jung-hyo.

There are concerns. And this makes sense. "However, the only concern is his speech," the reporter stresses. "The Korean leader is technically a non-mainstream player in the world of soccer, and it is questionable how much his performance in the non-mainstream league, the K-League, will appeal to foreign players."

Having only played and coached in Korea, "I'm a little doubtful if he's old enough to grow (in a new environment). And I'm also wondering if any overseas clubs can wait for him to grow. Competency is unquestionable, but it seems that there are some elements of anxiety."

I'll leave the last word to the established Ju. This sums up Lee Jung-hyo perfectly, in my opinion.

"He always tells us that players can be recognized and show their best according to the amount of effort they put in. And just as much, he himself works even harder than the players and constantly tries to provide us with better ideas."

2025 Korea Cup Final. Saturday, December 6.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors vs. Gwangju FC.