Seoul E-Land Vs FC Anyang: An Advertisement to What Football is

Football without fans is nothing. However, thankfully for fans of the game, K League football is still alive and full of energy. This week brings round eight of the 2021 K League 2. It has been a bittersweet week for Seoul E-Land. After their FA Cup triumph and win in the first-ever Seoul derby. The side followed their achievement by recording their second consecutive loss in the 2021 K League 2, against Daejeon Hana Citizen. The Leopards were A team cruising in first back at the beginning of the season. We now see the Leopards falling into third. As Frank Sinatra once sang "Your riding high in April, shot down in May"

Not only are Seoul in third, but they are also level on points with Ansan Greeners and the team they play this Sunday, Fc Anyang. Maybe a game Seoul would not look forward to, as Anyang are currently proving their worth in the K League and have not lost in over a month. Can Seoul get out of their slump? Michael Redmond previews this one here.

Slow and Steady doesn't Always Win the Race

Saturday was probably a game a lot of Seoul fans will quickly want to forget. They lined up against a Daejeon Hana Citizen team looking to go four points clear at the top. Daejeon looked quicker, more alert and even stronger on the ball. 

Both teams played FA Cup games the Wednesday prior, however, it was Seoul who looked the more tired out of the two teams. Daejeon's first came in the 55th minute when Matheus Pato managed to shoot past a sleeping Seoul defence. A headed pass to the Brazilian saw him tap the ball into the back of the net from a one on one position. He had all the time in the world to score. Pato once again annoying Seoul. He scored back against the side in 2019 when he went by the name of Antonio.

To add insult to injury, it was a Won Ki-jong goal to double their lead in the 77th minute. The ex-Seoul E-Land man was a firm fan favourite back in the capital and he gave the knock out blow to the Leopards on Saturday afternoon. 

Seoul pulled one back in the dying minutes with a headed ball from Kim Hyeon-hun but they could not find the equalizer.Seoul needs to go back to the drawing board now, the honeymoon period is well and truly over.  

Full Time: Daejeon Hana Citizen 2-1 Seoul E-Land

Play Seoul, Win the Game, Rinse, Repeat...

Fc Anyang and Seoul E-Land have quite a history against one another. The games between the two sides are always a feisty affair. Out of the 23 occasions they have played one another, there have been five draws, six Seoul wins and twelve Anyang wins. The Violets just know how to play Seoul E-Land. Anyang went undefeated against Seoul in 2020 with two wins and a draw. Seoul has to go back to August 2019 for their last win against them. Back when Seoul had its renaissance in Leoul Park. 

Seoul E-Land Captain Kim Min-kyun also played for FC Anyang back in 2017. 

Last year even saw Anyang make a note of their success against Seoul, by producing a match poster saying that they were going for ten home wins in a row against the Leopards. Seoul fans can thank Sukutu-Pasu for not letting that come to light. Fc Anyang just always seems to beat Seoul. It is the same with Chungnam Asan, two teams that just grind out results. Chung Jung-yong's men really need to get their act together if they are to even think about getting three points on Sunday. 

Back to the Drawing Board

Seoul ran with a 3-4-3 formation last weekend. It was the usual suspects in the line up excluding Barbio. The Brazilian appeared to be injured in the Seoul derby last Wednesday. Jang Yun-ho and Kim Sun-min controlled the middle of the park. Lee Gun-hee and Benegas were upfront with Kwak Seong-wook. Lee Gun-hee got booked in the first half and was replaced by Leandro even before halftime. Some may say this was due to the yellow card, some may say that the boss was changing his tactics. 

Benegas played well beating players to the ball and shielding against defenders. He was big and powerful in the game. However it is time to score goals now, he needs to get his tally up as he is the goal scorer for Seoul. Chung Jung-yong will have a firm belief that he can put a goal or two past Anyang this Sunday. 

The defence struggled against Daejeon. The Citizens managed to constantly get into pockets of space which left Seoul chasing down strikers who were on goal. The defence looked a little shaky at best. Seoul might need to give some more players a chance on Sunday and not give a line up seen in most games. Ko Jae-hyeon may deserve another start in the side and Kim Jin-hwan must also be knocking at the door. It must be stated that E-Land did have a game midweek, where they almost played a full team. However a win against FC Anyang is a must, so trust and belief in the players is what is needed. 

Seoul E-Land fell 2-1 to league leaders Daejeon Hana Citizen in the K League 2.

An In-form Anyang

It's been quite a good month for FC Anyang. They are undefeated in five games, including two FA Cup games and have won four out of those five. Not only that, in them last five games they beat Incheon United in the cup. They also beat Busan IPark and got a draw against Gimcheon Sangmu. Twelve goals have been scored with only three conceded. FC Anyang are looking like a well ran machine at the moment. 

Keep an eye out for Anyang tackles and discipline. Already have two red cards and 13 yellows so far in the season. Not afraid to play a rough game. Leandro needs to be protected. Anyang played a 4-4-2 like formation against Busan and Gimcheon and a 3-4-3 like style against Chungnam Asan. Interested to see how they play against a team who have only conceded four goals this year (Seoul).  Captain Jo Hyeon-woo plays on the left at either defensive or on the wing. track backs well for the side. 

Kim Hyeong-jin and You Jeong-hyeon could play a partnership at the back. Only conceded six goals this season. Midfield has seen defender Junior Neilson push up in a few games into a CDM role. Had a good game against Seoul last season and will look to continue hurting the team defensively. Watch out for Mang Sung-ung who has cemented his role in the middle of the field. Also keep an eye out for Sin Dong-woon which has played in every game this season with four starts and three off the bench. He comes one like a Kim Jeong-hwan like sub for Anyang. 

Baek Dong-gyu celebrates scoring for FC Anyang in the K League 2.

Jonathan is their man upfront but has still failed to score yet. Seoul defence looked tired and not focused on the weekend. They let deajeon go past them multiple times. Don’t let goal poachers through a line or they will score multiple on Sunday.

Prediction

No matter what is happening to the world of football right now. European Super Leagues, VAR problems within the game. One thing will be made certain, the K League always brings fun and excitement to fans across the country and across the globe. Expect an explosive game between Seoul E-Land and FC Anyang this Sunday. 

If you are a fan of one of the 12 teams who were going to make this Super League on not, why don't you give it a watch? You might find yourself going out and buying an Anyang or Seoul shirt. For what started as a hobby for myself, watching Seoul games and writing previews. Has now turned into a passion and joy for the side. Maybe some of these "big" teams could take note of Seoul E-Land and FC Anyang. They might learn a little something about the art of football.