Midfielder Kim Kang-guk (Chungnam Asan FC) takes the ‘legend’ Steven Gerrard as his role model.

On the afternoon of the 26th, I had an interview with Kim Kang-guk at a hotel in Seogwipo, Jeju. From the 4th, Chungnam Asan has been conducting the first battery training to prepare for the 2023 season.

Kim Kang-guk has been a player who has been attracting attention for his kicking power since his days at Incheon University. In particular, he played as a midfielder and piled up attack points with mid-range shots and free kicks. He was also called up to the U22 national team led by coach Kim Hak-beom in 2018 and was recognized for his growth potential. During his time at Incheon United, he was pushed out of the competition and had no opportunity to demonstrate his kicking power, and he regained his old kicking sense only after being called by manager Park Dong-hyuk. Coach Park, who used Kim Kang-guk as a “passer,” said half-jokingly and half-seriously, “Don’t shoot,” but Kim Kang-guk showed off his talent by scoring five goals last season.

Gerard, who made a name for himself in the past with his mid-range shooting, is also a role model. Kim Kang-guk said, “I want to imitate Gerard’s soccer. His mid-range shots and free kicks that fly in a straight line are excellent. I practice imagining them. The leadership was also great. I want to become a player with leadership, but now the hyungs are next to me. He plays a lot of that role in ”. I want to become an influential player in the team.”

Below is Kim Kang-guk’s interview Q&A

– Are the preparations for the season going well?

First of all, the weather is nice. Overall, the preparations are going well, so I am looking forward to it a lot. As the season goes on, the performance is getting better and better. This year, I want to achieve my goal of reaching the playoffs. Personally, I feel that I am growing by playing a lot.

– What do you feel you have grown the most about?

I was able to match the tempo that director Park Dong-hyuk wanted. He also recorded more attack points than I thought. I think we can do more this year. In the future, I want to grow as a player who helps my teammates.

– Even when coach Park said, ‘Don’t shoot’, half jokingly and half seriously, he scored 5 goals. Now, he seems to actively shoot, but

last year he scored more goals than expected, so he didn’t tell me not to shoot. He said that half-jokingly and half-seriously because of the situation during the game. If I score goals well this year, I think they will tell me to hit them a lot.

– During his time at Incheon University, his kicking power was so sharp that nearly half of his goals were free kicks. He finally got a taste of the goal from a free kick, but since 메이저놀이터

he played a lot of defensive roles, he didn’t have a chance to kick a free kick in the beginning of the transfer. Since last year, he has been in charge of free kicks. He scored goals and often hit the post. This year, I want to score more goals from free kicks. He hasn’t practiced a lot of free kicks to save his muscles as he just started winter training. Senses will return soon. Sometimes I look up a video of a free kick I kicked when I was a college student. Every time I see it again, I feel that the senses of that time are revived.

– Do you have a role model?

Gerard. The mid-range shots and free kicks are sucked in a straight line, which is excellent. Practice while imagining the scene. I also watch a lot of videos of Gerrard’s free kick goal. The leadership was also great. I also want to become a player with leadership, but now the hyungs play that role a lot by my side. I play box-to-box a lot, so it’s hard to say that I’m similar to Gerrard in terms of playstyle. More than anything else, I want to emulate the influence I have on the team.

– Have you ever been called Gerard?

Never. Gerrard is a long-retired player, so it could be. It would be nice to be called by his colleagues, but I hope he doesn’t make fun of him.

– What are your goals for this year?

Although the goal is not an important position, I want to achieve 10 attack points. Last year, he scored 3 goals in 8 games, but the second half was disappointing. It was a goal that was unfortunately not achieved as the attack points stopped at 8. If I raise 10 attack points, I hope there will be about 3 free kick goals. At least he wants to score a nice goal. Last year, a ball hit hard from a distance went nicely into the corner. Even if it’s not necessarily cool, it’s all the same because it’s one goal, so it’s all precious. I am looking forward to it a lot this year.