Seoul E-Land is cruising in the beginning.
The team starts off with high expectations of “just in case,” but the situation is different from previous years. E-Land has been called “the eye of the typhoon” since this winter. It has recruited Kim Do-gyun, the coach who opened the door for success at Suwon FC. It is the first time that E-Land has brought a coach with experience in promotion. The team has also made significant changes. In addition to recruiting Osmar, a former FC Seoul legend, Kim Oh-gyu, Kim Young-wook, and Jeong Jae-yong, E-Land has recruited a number of players who have been proven in the K-League 1.
E-Land immediately emerged as a candidate for promotion. Managerial of the K League 2 rated this season’s composition as “fourths – nine,” keeping E-Land’s name in the semifinals. This alone represents a significant change. E-Land spent a lot of money every year and did not receive much attention. It was not even mentioned as a candidate for the playoffs, let alone as a candidate for promotion. This winter, E-Land spent almost the same budget as last season and created a squad that would make other teams nervous. It was fair to say that it was the “Kim Do-gyun Effect” by establishing abundant human connections and a wide scouting system. 안전놀이터
His initial report card was not bad. Kim quickly changed E-Land, which had been mired in defeatism. He caught both Busan and Suwon, the “candidates for the championship.” Since then, he has been mired in no wins in five games, but quickly escaped the crisis. Kim touched the offense, which showed disappointment compared to its defense, and this was effective from the match against Asan (5-0) in South Chungcheong Province on April 27. From the match against Asan in South Chungcheong Province to the match against Cheonan (4-0), he produced the result of three wins, one draw and 13 goals and one run.
However, the score is not 100 percent yet. Plan A is fine. Indeed, the best 11 is formidable as its offense centered on Bruno Silva, the “leading scorer,” and revived Ikova, midfielders centered on Seo Jae-min and Park Chang-hwan, and defense staffed by Osmar and Kim O-gyu. In the 13 games E-Land played this season, it gave up the lead in the first half only twice. The problem is in the second half. Of the 13 goals E-Land gave up this season, it allowed a whopping 10 in the second half. It is not just the physical strength or concentration of its defenders. As backup players who try to replenish their physical strength or make changes are too weak, they often fail to produce a result despite good trends.
In particular, when Ikova is called in as a substitute, the problem of monotonous attacks is noticeable. Seo Jae-min and Park Chang-hwan are active styles, so they are a little weak in penetrating creative passes. Therefore, the strikers have to play powerfully, but Park Jung-in and Ko Min-yeol are showing below expectations. In the end, the offense is focused on Bruno Silva. Coach Kim tries to solve this problem tactically, but it is not easy. This is because the type of player itself is lacking. After all, the rest of E-Land’s season depends on how to solve the backup problem. Summer is important.