Whether Yan Junling or Wang Dalei will be the first goalkeeper in the national soccer team's lineup has always been a hot topic of discussion among fans. Nevertheless, all the signs show that Yan Junling has undoubtedly become the first choice of the goalkeeper of the national football team.
However, Yan Junling's conservative style of play and occasional gutsy performances as a starter have often been the target of criticism. In particular, he seems to be wary of entering the small penalty area, a behavior that has been the subject of much controversy.
So what exactly is the difference between Yan Junling in the small penalty area and outside the penalty area? Let's find out through a few key moments.
Inside the penalty box, he was a deity.
Looking back at the 2019 AFC Champions League, Shanghai Seaport challenged Jeonbuk Hyundai away from home, and the two sides fought to a draw in regulation time before the game went into extra time. In this crucial battle, Yan Junling saved the day many times.
The first shot captures a Jeonbuk Hyundai player breaking through from the left and firing a shot straight at the goal, but Yan Junling had already had a good idea of what to expect and accurately pounced on the ball, making the opponent's attack a lost cause.
The next thing we saw was Yan Junling's amazing reaction time. When Jeonbuk Hyundai lifted the ball into the penalty area, Kim Shin-wook headed in, Son Jun-ho grabbed the shot before the defenders, the ball bounced off the ground and went straight to the top of the goal, and as the ball was about to fly into the net, Yan Junling denied it with a brilliant one-handed brace.
Despite the fact that these images took place in 2019, they amply demonstrate Yan Junling's excellent reflexes and saves in the penalty area.
However, this is not always the case ......
Outside the penalty area, he seemed to lose his way.
In the final round of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Seaport played against Guangzhou, a team with young players in their starting lineup. At the beginning of the match, Harbour nearly conceded a goal, and the reason was Yan Junling's strike.
In the 5th minute of the match, Guangzhou's Deng Hanwen successfully broke through the defense and formed a one-two punch, Yan Junling decisively attacked, but due to the lack of experience as he usually makes fewer strikes, he was eventually easily deflected by Deng Hanwen, who was fortunate to have an average performance or else the seaport was afraid of conceding the goal already.
In the 24th minute, Yan Junling struck again. At that time, Guangzhou's rapid counterattack, Hou Yu sent a diagonal pass, Ling Jie inserted into the penalty area to face the attacking Yan Junling, easy to shake the opponent, and ultimately can only choose to knock back.
Facing such a young team, Yan Junling may have been a bit cocky inside, believing that his opponents were just a bunch of kids. However, once he stepped out of the small penalty area, he seemed to immediately become flustered and helpless.
Perhaps the real reason why Yan Junling is reluctant to go out of the small penalty area is not other than the kind of invincibility he possesses inside the penalty area, and once he leaves, it's as if he triggers an automatic invalidating debuff, causing him to lose his former elegance outside the small penalty area.
