ULSAN, South Korea -- As he entered the room for his post-match news conference, step after measured step with a stoic look on his face, it was apparent that Kim Pan-Gon had not liked what he had just witnessed in the preceding 90 minutes or so.
Then again, that much would have been obvious even if the Ulsan HD coach had not been in the flesh.
What started off as a promising Wednesday evening eventually unravelled as Ulsan fell to a 2-0 defeat to Vissel Kobe -- their third consecutive loss to start the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite campaign.
In a match between the reigning South Korean and Japanese champions, Ulsan actually made the brighter start but their insistence on methodically playing the ball out of defence -- which had already resulted in a couple of scary situations in the opening 45 -- backfired just three minutes into the second half.
With Vissel pressing high, they eventually won possession in a dangerous area for Taisei Miyashiro to score the opener -- and it was with a similar short counterattack that led to the same player sealing the result 17 minutes from time.
For a club of Ulsan's stature, especially as two-time champions of Asia, they now have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the round of 16.
And for Kim, who immediately started his news conference with an apology to the fans, there is just one basic aspect that was lacking from his side.
"We need to have more respect," he said. "I don't quite have the words ... this was very shameful.
"I apologise to the fans. We don't deserve (anything from the game). Ulsan have already won the ACL twice (and) the K-League four times -- Ulsan represents Korea.
"Maybe we were overly proud, even against a strong team. A Japanese team. We have to improve our attitude.
"Even if we don't qualify for the round of 16, it's not about that. It's about having respect for the fans, the opposition team and even our own teammates.
"We have to improve our performance and even I also have to improve."
Speaking in his native tongue, Kim apparently even went as far as to suggest that perhaps he did not deserve to stay in a role he only took on just three months ago -- although an Ulsan official clarified with ESPN that the meaning was lost in interpretation.
In fairness, the luck of the draw handed Ulsan a dreadful start to the campaign with three straight matches against formidable J1 League opposition -- although it does not necessarily get easier with their next ACL Elite clash away to Johor Darul Ta'zim, who Kim will be very familiar with given his previous stint as Malaysia coach.
On the domestic front, Ulsan are still on course for a third consecutive K-League 1 title and are also into the final of the Korea Cup.
There is still plenty for them to play for as 2024 comes to a close even if things have not been going smoothly on the continental front.
Yet, if it is anything to go by, Kim hopes yet another defeat in the ACL Elite on Wednesday serves as a reminder to his charges to avoid complacency.
"(Winning) the K-League is very important," he added. "We have to recover to compete for the championship and get the title.
"We also have the Korea Cup final. It is a very challenging schedule but such circumstances give us the opportunity to find positive solutions.
"We have five games left. We need four victories to get us over the line for this year.
"Tactically, there is more to fix as there were many mistakes today. We have to do our best to fix this in the future."
For one last time, he was asked, what was the one thing his players needed in order to rectify their current issues?
"Respect."