Suwon Bluewings coach Seo Jung-won declared himself “satisfied” with the scoreless draw against Melbourne Victory after making seven changes from their K. League opener on Saturday.
Having travelled 18 hours to Melbourne for Tuesday night’s AFC Champions League clash at AAMI Park, the Bluewings held Victory to keep their continental hopes alive.
MATCH REPORT: Victory, Suwon play out stalemate in ACL
Suwon hadn’t won in their opening two matches in Group G but by picking up their second point of the campaign, Seo argued they remain in contention to advance to the knockout phase of the competition.
“I am satisfied with one point, as we changed seven players from our last game in Korea,” he said post-match.
“So maybe if we bring all our best players back, maybe the result will be different.
“One point is very valuable in an away game.”
With attacking midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon and striker Kim Gun-hee out injured, Seo still decided to leave Brazilian forward Santos Junior in South Korea as well, plus a number of other players.
“After my experience participating in this competition for several years, I realised it’s impossible to use my best players in every game,” Seo said.
“So in pre-season it was my plan to make two teams available to every game, and especially for the away games here in Australia where we must fly over 18 hours.
“It’s almost impossible to maintain your form under those conditions, so it was my decision to use the younger players, as they recover faster.”
Suwon’s next match is against Jeonnam Dragons in the K. League on Sunday, while they will host Victory in their next ACL fixture on April 6.
