Kitchee head coach Kim Dong-jin says team are ‘much improved’ after poor start, seeks AFC Champions League redemption
- Interim head coach says Kitchee ‘much-improved’ after poor early season form led to Chu’s dismissal
- Kim cautiously optimistic over claiming overdue Champions League victory, despite no talks over taking job full-time
Kim Dong-jin said Kitchee are “much improved” from a stumbling start to the campaign but need buckets of “fighting spirit, mentality and character” to break their AFC Champions League duck on Wednesday.
The Premier League champions are set to face South Koreans Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Hong Kong Stadium, aiming to save face in the competition after earning only one point from their opening four matches. Bangkok United top Group F with 10 points, as Jeonbuk and Lion City Sailors, Kitchee’s final Group F opponents in a fortnight, are locked together with six points.
Former Kitchee boss Alex Chu Chi-kwong lost his job soon after a 2-1 defeat away against Jeonbuk in September. Kim was installed as temporary head coach and, after finding his footing, has overseen a six-game unbeaten run. Perhaps more significantly, incohesive early season performances, characterised by sloppiness and bickering, have given way to more purposeful, unified and organised displays.
“When I took the team, we tried to return to basics, then concentrated on establishing the way we play, building up through the middle, creating and finishing in the final third, pressing together, and being compact defensively,” Kim said.
“We have progressed, and are much improved from the beginning of the season.