A Week to Decide it All: Seoul E-Land's Double Dance with FC Anyang and Jeonnam Dragons

The misery continues for Seoul E-Land in the 2021 K League 2. A team that once boasted to be in first place is now only one point off rock bottom. Things are bleak in the capital and they don't seem to be looking up as a double game week looms over Leoul Park. 

First up is one of the catch-up games due to Seoul's postponement a few weeks prior. They welcome 3rd place FC Anyang. Then on Sunday evening, Jeonnam Dragons will make the long journey up to Jamsil to play Seoul. The Dragons are in 4th place and will not be looking to be part of The Leopards' comeback story. Will Chung Jung-yong's men finally give the fans something to be happy about? Or will Seoul finally get to the familiar territory of 10th place by Sunday night? Michael Redmond previews this one here. 

Match Details 

Match: Seoul E-Land Vs. FC Anyang 

Date: Wednesday, August 18th, 2021

Kick-off: 7pm

Venue: Leoul Park (Seoul Olympic Stadium)

Match: Seoul E-Land Vs. Jeonnam Dragons 

Date: Sunday, August 22nd, 2021

Kick-off: 7pm

Venue: Leoul Park (Seoul Olympic Stadium)

When it Rains, it Pours

Seoul have one win in fourteen games and it only looks to be continuing at this moment in time. Last Saturday's game conceived of once again, poor defending and comical attack. Constant shot after shot that went noway near the goal. One-shot from Yuki ended up as a throw-in. The team play with no confidence and Bucheon saw this. 

Seoul also have a discipline issue know. Lee Kyu-ru was sent off in the Chungnam Asan game the round prior. In the Bucheon game Kim Hyeon-hoon was shown two yellow cards. It shows a team that are running out of ideas and panicking in defence. The Lee Kyu-ru sending off was comical to be fair and should never have been a red. However, Seoul now have a problem. Lee In-jae and Lee Jae-ik went off injured on Saturday, leaving the defence even more depleted. FC Anyang must not believe their luck when they see what is happening with Seoul at the moment. It will be a long night for The Leopards. 

Seoul E-Land have seen better days in the K League 2.

I am tired now of saying, "Time will tell" and "This will be the game that changes it all". The season has gone now. Seoul needs to go into damage control and try and end the season with some pride. Back in 2018 and 2019 the team performed some of the worst football seen in the club's history. However, they were at least scoring goals and playing from the first minute until the last. Now, it appears that the team are not together, there is no drive to move forward in the league and all hope has been taken out of the camp. 

Fans still believe that this team can show them why they deserve to wear the shirts. They hope that they can be the ones who build a history for this young club. They already have, winning the first ver Seoul derby. They need to continue that success now and get Seoul to the promised land. 

Anytime, Anywhere, Anyang 

As stated above, The Violets must be salivating over this game on Wednesday. A team that are having an exceptional season love to play Seoul. Anyang have won four of the last six and the other two games were draws. This team love to stick the knife into Seoul and they will think Wednesday will be a walk in the park. For a Seoul fan, you would just hope that they underestimate Seoul midweek. 

FC Anyang have had a brilliant season. Currently, on 40 points, a win for The Violets on Wednesday will fire them back to the top of the league. They have eleven wins already this season. Almost double of what they had the season prior (6 wins).  

Jonathan Moya and Nilson have been the star players in this FC Anyang side.

Jonathan Moya has been the man with the goals this year. He has nine goals already and he does not look to be settling down anytime soon. They also have Nilson who has been exceptional at the back for the side. This is the Brazilian's second season at Anyang and he is only improving on his season prior. Anyang looks like a side that could really ruffle some feathers and be top of the tree come to the end of October. 

The Dragons Looking to go the Distance 

It was heartbreak for both Seoul and Jeonnam last season as they missed out on the playoffs on the last day of the season. Where Seoul started well and slowly declined. Jeonnam went into 2021 looking to improve on 2020. It was a slow start for the side, with one win in the month of March. However, once the country started to warm up, so did the Dragons. 

Seoul vs Jeonnam has been quite the affair over the last few years in the K League 2.

Jeonnam now sit in fourth, five points off top spot. Goals have not been the means for Jeonnam'a drive, yet it has been their defence that has stood strong. The side has only conceded 19 goals this year, mimicking their defensive style of last year. Jonathan Balotelli is the man with the goals. The former Busan Ipark forward has eight goals to his name and is settling into life in Gwanyang well. 

It has been a tough time for the Dragons in the K League 2, this is their third season in the division. They will now believe that it is time to get back to the glory days. They will also think that they have the team to do it. 

How Long Can it Last?

It has been a horrible time for Seoul. A loss against a Bucheon side who have been below par really cracked the ice amongst fans of the Leopards. This could be a hard week for the team. They could end the week with three losses in eight days. Looking at both Anyang and Jeonnam at the moment. It would be comical to put a bet on Seoul to get any points off these two sides. 

They don't look ready to play as a team. Normality has come back to life as a Seoul fan. No more dreaming of top place finishes. The four times a season Seoul derby has well and truly left their thought. As we gear up to play in Mokdong next year, we will be a team with the chips down once again. However, it was times like this when Seoul fans created most of their memories. 

Chung Jung-yong has been the manager of Seoul E-Land since the start of the 2020 season. 

It's been a tough couple of months to be a Seoul fan. It's been a tough couple of years. I have followed this team around the country. I have been on 5am trains, I have spent eight hours in Jeju. I have had a nine-hour round bus ride, all in one day. Nothing really worried me about this side, however now, I am worried to see where we will be, come October.