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| FC Seoul goalkeeper Yoo Sang-hoon, first from left, reacts after the team gave away the sixth goal against Daegu FC during the K League 1 sixth round at the DGB Park in Daegu, Sunday. FC Seoul lost 0-6. / Yonhap |
By Jhoo Dong-chan
It had been the worst three weeks for FC Seoul.
The capital-based football team suffered three consecutive defeats in as many weeks. Worse still, the team's general performance doesn't seem like it will improve anytime soon.
FC Seoul suffered a historic 0-6 defeat against Daegu FC during the K League 1 sixth round match at the DGB Park in Daegu, Sunday. The six-goal deficit was FC Seoul's worst loss ever in the team's history.
Before its defeat against Daegu, Seoul had suffered two consecutive defeats against Seongnam FC (0-1) and Jeonbuk Hyundai (1-4). In the meantime, Seoul managed to score only one goal while it conceded 11 goals, demonstrating the team's balance has completely crumbled both in offense and defense.
Seoul has fallen to ninth place in the 12-team league after the Sunday game.
Poor leadership
There is no question Seoul head coach Choi Yong-soo is one of the most distinguished football managers in the league at the moment. However, it is players, not coaches, who should materialize on the pitch.
Thirty-five-year-old veteran Park Chu-young has scored only one goal this season. He even scored an own goal in the game against Daegu last weekend. FC Seoul's captain Go Yo-han started more games on the bench than playing in its starting lineup.
Another 33-year-old veteran Osmar Ibanez Barba was injured in the third-round match against Pohang Steelers.
In its Sunday game against Daegu, five out of the starting 11 players were younger than 22 years old, seeming to have no leader on the pitch who can motivate the team's young players.
Strategy and pace
FC Seoul operates in a 3-5-2 formation. Similar to Sheffield United of the English Premier League, two of the team's three center backs overlap breaking into the final third area to deliver crosses that overpower the opposition.
Seoul's "overlapping center backs" seemed very effective in its third-round match against Pohang Steelers last month as it beat the latter 2-1. The game plan, however, imposed a tremendous pressure on the team's key defenders ― Kim Nam-chun, Hwang Hyun-soo and Kim Ju-sung. From the fourth round, Seoul failed to demonstrate a consistent game performance during the first and second half.
Choi often operates wing backs in the final third without placing side midfielders when attacking. The plan aims at concentrating on the central area, but also burdens the team's main wing backs such as Kim Jin-ya and Go Kwang-min as they had to cover the entire touchline area. Twenty-one-year old Kim just joined the team this year and Go turns 32 in September.
In its fourth-round match against Seongnam FC, Seoul's back three and wing back duo successfully contained the away team's young forward duo Hong Si-hoo and Choi Byeong-chan in the first half, but their pace visibly slowed in the second half. Despite its dominating ball possession rate, Seoul conceded a final goal in the 88th minute and the team was defeated 0-1.
The team's inconsistency was also evident in its fifth-round match against Jeonbuk Hyundai. Seoul managed to equalize with Park's superb last-minute volley after allowing an opening goal in the first half, but allowed three consecutive goals in the second half.
Is Choi well?
After its crucial home defeat of Jeonbuk, Seoul started five young players aged less than 22 in its sixth-round match against Daegu FC.
Except the K League 1's two strongest contenders, Ulsan and Jeonbuk Hyundai, Daegu FC was Seoul's archrival vying for an AFC Champions League spot. K League 1's top three teams as well as the league's FA cup winner are allowed to participate in the AFC Champions League. If the FA cup winner is among the top three teams in the table, then the fourth-place team will also be allowed to join Asia's top football tournament.
It was hard to understand why Choi started five young players in such a crucial game. A K League observer who is familiar with FC Seoul issued claims Choi is experiencing friction with the team's management, which has been reluctant to spend money to sign new players for many years.
Another rumor alleged Choi is experiencing a health problem.
"I heard Choi is suffering from myelitis," the K League observer said. "It doesn't seem to be serious, but there is no doubt Choi is under tremendous pressure."
FC Seoul's management declined to comment on Choi's health.
