AFC Recap: FC Seoul 0-0 Shandong Luneng
Unfortunately,
they could not score against Shandong Luneng last night and the game ended in a nil-nil draw, but it is not the worst result
in the world and Seoul should wrap the group up in their next game against
Buriram United. For Shandong however, this was a massive result.
They are still one point ahead of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, whom they play
next.
For this game,
Shandong focused mostly on defending and trying to score on set pieces.
Out from the Hangzhou Greentown game was CB Li Wei and in was Gil.
Likewise, DM Zhang Chi sat the bench and Hao Junmin took his place.
I feel as though
Shandong have spent the last three weeks practicing for this match. They
were very well organized, but also quite lucky. On another day, Seoul
would have scored three or four at least. That being said, Shandong
defended well enough and rode their luck for, to them, a critical point.
I missed most of
the game, but here are four things that stood out for me.
1. Osmar
(from youtube.com) |
Osmar, in the
square, hammered the ball with his right foot. The shot, unfortunately,
hit the inside post and bounced out. If it goes in, the game is
completely different. What I want to highlight, and I might focus more on
it, is how far up field Osmar is venturing even though he is a CB.
Obviously, Choi must realize the weakness of three CBs at times when
pressing for a goal, so he has the liberty to join the attack when need be.
2. Takahagi
ball over top to Adriano
(from youtube.com) |
As I highlighted
in my preview, Shandong are susceptible to balls over the top. Seoul
tried this in the first half, with Takahagi (circle) sending a wonderful ball
over the top for Adriano (square) to run on to. Unfortunately, the keeper
was in a great position to block the shot.
3. Yoo
Hyun and Set Pieces
(from youtube.com) |
I put a rectangle
around the ball and circled Jucilei. Set pieces continue to be a worry
for Seoul. I put to lines near each goal post. Maybe Choi should
look into putting a man on one, if not both. Here is a shot of Kim
Shin-wook's header for Jeonbuk when the two teams played in the first week.
(from youtube.com) |
That time, Seoul
had a man on the near post, so the Wookie attacked the far post.
Obviously, teams have highlighted Yoo's physical stature as a weakness
and are going to go after it. That is why I think it might be advisable
for Choi to put two men on the post.
Of course, there
are many arguments against putting one, let alone two men on the post, just as
some people think a team should utilize man marking on corners rather than
zonal marking. As the adage goes, damned if you do and damned if you
don't.
4.
Shandong's Defensive Effort
Finally, this was
Seoul's last shot of the game, and it shows how doggedly Shandong defended.
There are three men near the ball and one of them (2 I think) was able to
snuff out Yun Ju-tae's shot. Did he take too long? Maybe, but it
would have been difficult to score no matter what. There were other
examples as well.
That being said,
Seoul had six or seven really good chances to score. On another day, they
bury those and the starters get the next two games off as Choi can rotate his
squad to give them a much needed rest. Instead, they will have to trot
out against Buriram. They should, however, collect all three points from
them and advanced as the group winner to the next round.
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