Understand the new tactics of your team PSG Lee
Kang-in, who spent his best time with the national team, is now returning to his team and taking on a new challenge.
Lee Kang-in’s team, PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), released team training scenes through official channels such as the club’s SNS and website on October 20 (hereinafter Korean time). There was also a scene where Lee Kang-in, who returned to his team a month after completing the national team schedule, received a so-called ‘Indian rice’ congratulatory ceremony from his teammates,토토사이트creating a heartwarming feeling.
Lee Kang-in left Mallorca (Spain) and transferred to PSG in the transfer market last summer. Last month, on September 20, he was away for a while after the first leg of Group F of the 2023-2024 European Champions League (UCL) group stage against Dortmund (Germany). Lee Kang-in, who participated in the Hangzhou Asian Games held in China, joined the under-24 national soccer team led by coach Hwang Sun-hong and contributed to Korea’s third consecutive championship. Lee Kang-in received a gold medal around his neck and even received a valuable gift in the form of military service benefits.
Lee Kang-in then moved to the A national team’s ‘Klinsmannho’. Despite winning the gold medal at the Asian Games, Lee Kang-in left a mark by failing to record a single attack point in five games, but it was different at the Klinsmann Lake.
Lee Kang-in, who started both of the two consecutive home friendly matches between Tunisia (4-0 win) and Vietnam (6-0 win) in October, scored a whopping 3 goals and 1 assist in the 2 games, leading Korea’s A to win 3 times in a row. and shook off the disappointment of the Asian Games. The national team showed that Lee Kang-in’s performance varied greatly depending on his position and condition, and it was significant that he solidified his status as the next-generation ace and tactical core of the national team after Son Heung-min.
Lee Kang-in, who left behind solid achievements such as military service benefits and a gold medal-A team, proudly returned to his team PSG. PSG, led by coach Luis Enrique, will resume its league schedule with a French Ligue 1 home game for the 2023-2024 season against Strasbourg held at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on the 22nd. Currently, PSG is in 3rd place with 15 points (4 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss), and Strasbourg is in 11th place with 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses).
PSG is in a period of great change. They parted ways with Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, and Neymar, who were with them until last season, and brought in new players, including Lee Kang-in, Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, Manuel Ugarte, Lucas Hernández, Gonzalo Hamus, and Ousmane Dembele. The squad was reorganized with a large number of recruitments. Ace Kylian Mbappe, who had been subject to endless transfer rumors, has been confirmed to remain this season.
Coach Enrique is experimenting with various combinations at the beginning of the season. However, it appears that organizational power has not yet been established. PSG struggled early in the season with extremely fluctuating performance, and even suffered a shocking 1-4 defeat after adopting a bold 4-2-4 strategy in the group stage of the European Champions League (UCL) against Newcastle. Even though they have excellent attacking resources such as Mbappe at the front line, it has been pointed out that they cannot utilize them properly due to the lack of quality passes and inefficient tactics. Lee Kang-in, who has strengths in ball distribution and kill passes, is considered a midfielder who can bring creativity to PSG’s midfield.
Lee Kang-in has consistently received opportunities since his transfer to PSG and has raised expectations, but due to his injury, he has not yet been able to fully show his true value. In addition, he had to sit out for a long period of time due to consecutive selections to the national team at the beginning of the season. If he has firmly established himself in the national team by proving his worth, the real competition in his team is now starting.
The key is in what position Coach Enrique uses Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in can be used in a variety of positions, including midfielder, second-line striker, and second striker. In Klinsmann, he played an active role in the second line center and flank.
In particular, in the match against Vietnam, he played as an attacking midfielder close to the second top, but in the second half, he volunteered to move to the right side and explode the attack point. Lee Kang-in was originally considered to be an attacking midfielder close to number 10 as the optimal position, but he also revealed that he actually prefers the side.
However, the role required by PSG is different from that of the national team. At the press conference against Strasbourg on the 20th, Coach Enrique was asked about how to use Lee Kang-in and defined, “Lee Kang-in is a central midfielder in our tactics.” However, Coach Enrique also acknowledged Lee Kang-in’s versatility in that he can play roles in multiple positions, leaving room for a variety of uses.
Lee Kang-in is likely to be used as a central midfielder or side striker in PSG’s 4-3-3. Currently, PSG’s offensive line consists of Ousmane Dembele, Gonzalo Hamus, Randal Colo Muani, etc., centered around Mbappe, who is gradually improving his physical condition. In the center, Ugarte and Jair Emery are consistently receiving opportunities, and the Portuguese national team player Vitinha, who is highly creative, has recently joined the team and is attracting attention. The bench also has plenty of immediate power, including Fabian Luis and Carlos Soler.
In short, no matter what position Lee Kang-in plays, fierce competition for the starting position is inevitable for his survival. However, it is also a fate that must be passed in order to become a ‘world-class’ player at a major global club. Lee Kang-in had started two consecutive league games before his injury, but he took over the starting position while he was away due to injury and national team call-up. They face a difficult challenge to prove their worth among their competitors once again.