Lingard has surgery, defense falls apart

FC Seoul head coach Kim Ki-dong's fears were realized when he breathed a deep sigh of relief before last weekend's match against his hometown team, the Pohang Steelers.

Seoul lost 2-4 at home to Pohang in the seventh round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday.

The loss snapped a five-match unbeaten streak (two wins and three draws) and left Seoul in sixth place (9-2, 3-3, 2-2).

Kim Ki-dong, who took over at Seoul this year after guiding Pohang to the Korean Football Association (FA) Cup title (now the Korea Cup) last season, has struggled to organize the team early in the season.

After a 0-2 loss to Gwangju FC in the opening game, the team seemed to turn things around with a five-match unbeaten run, but the momentum was derailed by a tough loss at Pohang.

Coach Kim Ki-dong, who came to Seoul after leading Pohang until last season, was not happy ahead of the match against his hometown team, which was dubbed the "Kim Ki-dong Derby".

England international midfielder Jesse Lingard was expected to make his return to the team after making a big splash in Seoul's colors this season, but he underwent surgery on the eve of the game and will be out for an extended period of time.

Lingard, who injured cartilage in his knee while playing for England, has reportedly been playing through rehabilitation without surgery. He had no problems when he joined Seoul, but the pain returned in March during individual training during the A-Match break.

After a meeting with head coach Kim Ki-dong, Lingard underwent surgery and is expected to take at least four weeks to recover.

Kim said, "I was worried because it was his first surgery, but I think it's positive. He told me that he had the surgery to make him better," Kim said.

While Kim said he was taking the long view with Lingard, his inability to properly utilize the superstar he paid big bucks for has complicated matters.

Lingard played from the opening match to the third round of the K-League, but failed to generate any offensive points.

After a 2-0 win against Jeju United in the third round, he was criticized by Kim for his attitude. Lingard vowed to improve afterward, but a recurrence of the knee pain he suffered during the A-Match kept him off the field for a while.

The loss of star central defender Kim Joo-sung to injury was even worse for Seoul.

Kim Joo-sung, who had been on a roll of late, suffered a fractured toe against Pohang and will be out for a while.

Kim Joo-sung is the starting center back who had started six matches in a row this season before the match against Pohang.

Coach Kim, who was nonchalant about Lingard's surgery, sighed heavily at the loss of Kim Joo-sung. "Now that he's back on his feet, it's a shame," Kim said.

Kim Joo-sung's departure was replaced by Sulaka (Itaq) and Kwon Wan-kyu, but the central defense was shaken by the four goals against Pohang. It was the first time Seoul had conceded four goals in a game this season after leading the league in fewest goals conceded (four) before the Pohang match.

"I think we need to check our defense again," Kim said after the match.