"Shooting Star 2" senior coach Seol Ki-hyeon took responsibility for the team's drop to last place.
Seol Ki-hyeon met reporters on the 17th at a cafe in Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and conducted an interview about the Coupang Play variety show "Shooting Star 2."
Coupang Play variety show "Shooting Star" is Korea's only full-time growth soccer variety show in which retired legend players, along with Director General Park Ji-sung and manager Choi Yong-soo, challenge active K League players. The sight of retired legend players banding together to face K4 League teams was an unscripted drama and delivered deep emotion. This was proven by 3 million cumulative views on shorts and reels.
Known as "Seolvaudu," Seol Ki-hyeon played for Royal Antwerp FC, RSC Anderlecht, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Reading FC, Fulham FC, Pohang Steelers, Ulsan Hyundai, and Incheon United, and scored 19 goals in 82 appearances for the national team. After retiring from playing, he served as coach of the Sungkyunkwan University soccer team, as a national team coach, and as manager of Gyeongnam FC.
As the senior coach of FC Shooting Star working with manager Choi Yong-soo, Seol Ki-hyeon plays a key supporting role by advising on tactics and checking players' conditions. He particularly takes charge of the variety show aspects with Choi Yong-soo through their distinctive tiki-taka, making him an indispensable presence on "Shooting Star."
As the senior coach assisting manager Choi Yong-soo, he also bore responsibility for the current results. Regarding the team's drop to last place with two draws and three losses, Seol Ki-hyeon said, "I thought season 2 would go well because we brought results in season 1, but I didn't know it would be this hard. The level was different. After finishing the season, people say, 'Now we know how to face them,' but there are three matches left. I expect the first win to come and for various results to follow."
Seol Ki-hyeon said, "I thought it would be difficult in season 1, but when we tried it, we could do it. So I thought the K3 League wouldn't be very different from the K4 League, but they were too strong. In season 1 our finishing was better than the other teams', which produced results, but in season 2 we were outmatched in finishing. In that sense, I think it's definitely a different league, and because it differed from our expectations the coaching staff and players were flustered," adding, "In season 1 the broadcasts aired after all the games were finished, so the K4 League teams didn't know us at all. But in season 2 the league started after the broadcasts aired, so K3 League teams were able to analyze us properly. With little change in the FC Shooting Star roster and the manager's tactics being read, we suffered considerable difficulties."
But with three matches remaining, worries about relegation are premature. Seol Ki-hyeon said, "There will be matches that show hope for season 3. It could be promoted, you might say, so please look forward to the remaining three matches. I hope you pay attention and enjoy them," he urged.
Coupang Play "Shooting Star" season 2 releases new episodes every Friday at 8 p.m.
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