Recap: Asan Mugunghwa 3-2 Seoul E-Land

Round 20 of the 2019 K League 2 saw Seoul E-Land fall 3-2 to last year’s champions Asan Mugunghwa. The result led to the Leopard’s 14th loss and 9th defeat in a row. Seoul are in dire straights right now, but let's deconstruct what actually happened in their last game.

What Happened?

First Half
The game started with Seoul holding back in their attack. They invited Asan into the game and allowed them to drive forward the ball. Within the first ten minutes, Asan found themselves crossing in a free kick in a dangerous area. Unfortunately, Asan took a shot, which was met by the ball hitting Choi Jong-hoan’s hand. The decision went to VAR, and it was very soft, yet new FIFA ruling does concur than any handball in the box needs to result in a penalty regardless.

Ko Moo-yeol converted, and Asan found themselves 1-0 up. Asan’s squad decided to make a group celebration, and rub salt into the wound. A bit of class would not have gone amiss, giving Seoul’s situation. In the 43rd minute, a nice cross from Oh Se-Hun saw great control again from Ko Moo-yeol. Shocking defending from Seoul saw him roll the ball into the box from a tapped in semi volley.

Second half
68th minute and Ko Moo-yeol decides that he wants to dance through the E-Land defense. A through ball pass from him, saw him beat any poor attempt of defense from Seoul and found himself one on one with Kang Jeon-monk. A simple slot to the right-hand side of the net found Asan 3-0. Surprisingly, no tasteless celebrations this time around.

Seoul decided to wake up after that, and it was in the 71st minute, they had the ball in the net. Choi Jong-hoan thought he saw redemption from conceding a penalty in the first half, but he was found offside. Four minutes later, however, Wesley Alex tapped the ball in from a cross and it was 3-1. In the 88th minute, Seoul got the rub of luck, as VAR awarded them the penalty. Kim Min-kyu converted, and Seoul had seven minutes, including the added time to make an epic turnaround. It wasn’t to be for the capital, and a cocky Asan, were left a little flustered by full time.

Full Time: Asan Mugunghwa 3-2 Seoul E-Land

What Went Well?

When they were asked to, they finally came alive and played as a team. Passes were starting to be strung together, and they are actually not too bad at pushing the ball forward. There was a point in the second half, where Asan could not get the ball off Seoul. They continued to press forward, and Alex’s presence in the box always led you to think that Seoul could score playing like this.

Kang Jeon-monk was also very good for Seoul in his first league start of the season. Some great saves throughout the game, Asan easily could have scored more due to Seoul’s shocking defense. Kang stood tall however and proved his worth .

What Didn't Go Well?

They have no confidence in shooting. Seoul loves to practice their shooting before the game. However, they can never pull these shots off when under pressure. Seoul really need to practice on defensive pressure from the opposition and get out of tight situations. Seoul need very open and clear cut chances to score. Seoul can not score out of nowhere, they need space and options to go a goal up.

Also, the defense is diabolical. There is no connection, no chemistry, and no formula. Seoul don’t talk and communicate with one another. They make it very easy for teams to run at them, and if a striker is confident in his ability, he will find himself in a dangerous situation. Seoul need to deal with players on the overlap and talk to one another in the game.

What Do They Need To Do Now?

They need to go back to basics. It appears there is no structure in training. Seoul need to sit down and analyse their performance over the last ten games and see where they have gone wrong. Douglas Coutinho has been excellent at tracking back for the side. However, he should not need to do so, the defense should be able to do it on their own accord.

Seoul have no structure and no substance in their play. They need to get back onto the training pitch, look at defending set-pieces and counter-attacks. Maybe players are going too far forward on the attack, desperate to score that goal. I think changes need to come from some backbone in the dressing room and especially in the management .