FC Anyang Vs. Seoul E-Land - Where Do We Go From Here?

To say it has recently been a tough time to be a Seoul fan would be quite an understatement. Seoul have failed to win in over a month in the 2021 K League 2. It is also clearly obvious that morale is at an all-time low. This weekend they make the trip to play FC Anyang. A side they have not beaten away from home in ten attempts. 

 FC Anyang sits 2nd in the league and are still looking for automatic promotion. They have had a season to remember and they will hope for their good fortunes to continue. Will Anyang continue the Leopard's run of lacklustre performances? Or will the capital club finally get out of this rut that they find themselves in?    

Where Did All The Good Times Go?

The term 'rollercoaster season' has been thrown around a bit in past Seoul articles. With that being said, no truer word would be said about the Leopards in the 2021 Season. It started off so well. A 3-0 away win against Busan IPark, followed by beating Gimcheon Sangmu 4-0. The strikers were in full force and Seoul looked like world-beaters. I have gone on record to say Seoul will get at least playoffs at that time. Maybe that was nothing short of a jinx to this team. 

Seoul have been far from impressive in the last few rounds of the 20201 K League 2

It all started with the injury time loss to Chungnam Asan back in April. Asan sat back for the whole game and then just struck in the dying moments of the fixture. It made Seoul look weak. It showed cracks in the side. It really seems as if they never recovered from this loss. 

Seoul did go on then to beat FC Seoul in the cup and Bucheon convincingly. However, teams then seemed to work out the Leopards' games. Things could be a lot worse for Seoul. If it wasn't a couple of last-minute equalizers, they could already be in a position that they call it a finished season. Seoul has not had a convincing performance now since the early stages of the campaign. 

FC Anyang Looking For Glory

FC Anyang have been the surprise story of the season so far. We all spoke about Daejeon Hana Citizen, Jeonnam Dragons, Gimcheon Sangmu, and Seoul. However not much was said about FC Anyang. A side that have already won five games in a row this season. They have only won one in the last five games. In saying that,  they are still only one point off top spot. A 2-1 win over Daejeon in the last round will boost Anyang confidence, and they will smell fear from the Capital on Saturday.

Kim Kyung-jung celebrates scoring against Deajeon Hana Citizen. He also scored against Seoul this season. 

FC Anyang could take the Leopards to the sword on Saturday, just like Jeonnam did in the round prior. Anyang really needs to get another run in the league to show that the five-game win streak was not a fluke. The Violets might have the hearts of the natural fan this year due to their performance in the league.  

Time For Plan B? 

So, what is going on in Seoul? To cut a long story short, they have lost all confidence in their game. They push the ball up high and rely on a strike force that can not actually finish too well. They rely on throwing the ball up to the strikers in long passes and the balls never reach the intended man. Headers are never won by anyone on the team, bar Kim Jin-hwan who has actually been a shining star in this poor side.  Defenders for the team look pedestrian in their collecting and clearing of the ball, inviting opponents to give them a go. 

The midfield relies too much on Kim Sun-min to literally control the entire park. Every other player around him changes on a weekly basis and can not gel with one another. Talking about changes, there are certain players who are not at a calibre to be starting every week. However, for some reason, they are a regular name on the team sheet. This with the fact Seoul have their top goal scorers sat on the bench almost every round. 

Chung Jung-yong is an experienced manager and Seoul fans will hope to see his fortunes changes soon.

Too much is relied on Leandro to literally save the team week in and week out and he can not do it on his own. The last striker to score for Seoul was Han Eui-gwon back on the 5th of May in a 1-1 draw with Gyeongnam. They have failed to score in the last three games (including FA Cup) and they look like they will never score again at this rate. The boss, Chung Jung-yong has said that Seoul has a plan B in case things go wrong for the capital. Fans are still waiting for these plans to be executed. Plan B should have come into play around four games ago. Questions are now asked if the team only have one dimension to their game. Something needs to change. 

Seoul have the players and the talent to be challenging for the league and not be in the position they are in now.  What started as a dip in form has now turned into a free fall down the table. I really hope that they can demonstrate everything that has been said in this article makes no sense by 6pm on Saturday evening. 

A Rivalry With No Fanfare 

Fans love when Seoul play Anyang. It always seems like a derby of sorts. It always seems like the two teams play at an extra tempo and a bit stronger. More runs are made, more tackles thrown in. More yellow cards and certainly a red or two. It has been a fixture in the past which has fans marking it down in their diary months prior. However, many will already think they know how Saturday will play out. There is a certain worry about this game now and I am sure that Seoul fans are going to be in for another long day at the office if things don't change.

There is no party like the K League 2 party. That is almost a K League United tagline at this rate and we know that anyone can beat anyone on any given day. It is also still very close at the top, even if Seoul are sat down in 8th. However, I can not see Seoul getting out of this anytime soon. I really hope I am proven wrong on this one. 

Seoul fans are looking for the Leopards of old to come back on Saturday against FC Anyang 

Seoul needs a boost and a win against Anyang will certainly do that. Seoul fans are far from unpalatable and all they want is their team to do well. A good collection of fans and a family spirit is enthused amongst the supporters. They have a lot of love and passion for their team and all they want is the players to give them 100% whenever they put on the shirt. Let's hope these players can give them that 100% this weekend. 

I have said earlier that I hope by 6pm Saturday I am proven wrong and a sigh of relief falls amongst the team. This team is followed passionately all over the country by many a fan. Sometimes support for the side defiantly trickles into these articles and a personal opinion or two is thrown in. However this team have the potential to still do amazing things this year, they just need a wake-up call.