"Recently, key player Eom Ji-sung spent most of the match on the bench" — Local media harshly criticizes Swansea's tactics; result also a major failure: "We can't win like this"

*This content was translated by AI.

Korea national team player Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City), who had been performing well recently, spent most of the match on the bench as his team suffered a decisive defeat. Local media pointed out both the frustrating match management and Eom's late substitution.

On the 9th (Korea time), Swansea lost 1-3 to Southampton in an away match at St Mary's Stadium in England, part of Round 6 of the 2026–2027 English Championship (second division).

With three wins, two draws, and one loss (11 points), Swansea sits second in the league. Tied with top-placed West Ham on points, this defeat cost them the chance to take first place.

Eom started on the bench today and was substituted into the match in the 33rd minute of the second half. In about 12 minutes on the field, he recorded one dribble breakthrough and one ground duel. His pass success rate was only 33%, but he created a shooting opportunity for a teammate with one key pass.

Earlier, Eom played until the 85th minute in Round 3 against Derby County and completed the full match in Round 4 against Watford. In both games, he contributed one goal and one assist, showing his presence in attack.

However, in the previous match against Wrexham, he played 53 minutes, and today his playing time was even shorter — the shortest of the season so far.

Local media also focused on Eom's late substitution. The football-focused site "Swansea Independent," which mainly covers Swansea news, noted in its post-match review: "Eom was brought on with about 11 minutes remaining." It added, "He has been a key player for Swansea in recent matches, yet today he spent most of the game on the bench."

This highlighted that despite Eom's strong recent performances even when the team's attack struggled to flow smoothly, his substitution came only at the very end of the match.

The media heavily criticized Swansea's performance, particularly targeting their inefficient first-half management. The outlet sarcastically remarked: "If the plan was to play in a completely different and utterly ineffective manner compared to usual during the first half, then Swansea has excellently achieved that goal."

It also pointed out the problem of being unable to advance despite possession. The media criticized: "Forward passes were hard to find. They just kept passing the ball around aimlessly."

It continued: "You cannot win a match by stopping when bolder play is needed and simply keeping the ball at your feet. Regrettably, victory is impossible with this kind of game plan. Everything was too weak and passive. Even if there was a plan, it was not evident."

The criticism went beyond just the result of defeat. It also addressed the passive match management, frustrating attacking play, and Eom's late substitution despite being regarded as a key player recently.

Vitor Matos, Swansea manager, could not escape criticism either. The media stated: "Matos must completely eliminate this kind of performance from Swansea," adding, "By any standard, the team's performance was insufficient," urging change.

Meanwhile, after completing his club duties, Eom Ji-sung will head to Japan for the Asian Games. Another Korean player competing in the Championship, Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), is also scheduled to join the Asian Games national team.

Bae Jun-ho also came on as a substitute in the same day's match against Cardiff City. Substituted in the 14th minute of the second half, he played about 31 minutes and recorded two key passes. Stoke drew 1-1 with Cardiff.

The Asian Games football national team, led by coach Lee Min-seong, gathered on the 1st at Cheonan Korea Football Park to begin training. With European-based players like Eom Ji-sung and Bae Jun-ho joining, the squad is expected to reach full strength.

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*This content was translated by AI.