If he can't solve it with team tactics, he should leave it to Lee Kang-in

To demand a troubleshooter's role from an outstanding player, at least give the ball and treat the players around him as a troubleshooter. However, manager Jürgen Klinsmann is playing soccer, which does not require a lot of balls for Lee Kang-in. It does not ease the burden on Lee Kang-in, but rather reduces the utilization of Lee Kang-in.

South Korea, which played its second Group E match of the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on the 20th (Korea time), drew 2-2 with Jordan.

Bahrain, which played after Korea, secured a 1-0 win over Malaysia. As a result, the group's No. 1 ranking is Jordan with four points, the group's No. 2 ranking is Korea with the same points but failed to secure a point in goal difference, the group's No. 3 ranking is Bahrain with three points, and the group's No. 4 ranking is Malaysia with no points.

South Korea won the previous match against Bahrain thanks to Lee Kang-in's strong performance. When South Korea's offensive tactics did not work well, Lee Kang-in scored the winning goal with a powerful mid-range shot, followed by a wedge goal with the help of Hwang In-beom. In addition, there were many scenes where Lee Kang-in released him with his personal ability in the second half of the game.

Against Jordan, Lee Kang-in was so destructive that he wondered if he was the same player. Several dribbling attempts were blocked, and in the first place, he tried unreasonable plays that could not be successful, such as dribbling in a place with too many opposing defenses. His momentary judgment was not sharp and his physical condition seemed heavy. It was not his usual Lee Kang-in. This may be a matter of overall condition management because Korean players were not sharp in general. It is difficult to conclude that Lee Kang-in was sluggish because of tactics.

However, the early aspect of the ball not going to Lee Kang-in in the first place is hard to say that it is a physical condition problem. In the previous match against Bahrain, Lee Kang-in did not demand the ball well while standing deep on the right side, but only began to take the lead after about 30 minutes. The difference in the match against Jordan is that when the 30-minute search had to be made to increase the flow, Korea was rather dragged into Jordan's strong pressure and lost the lead.

Coach Klinsmann's soccer is known to give players freedom to make use of their individual skills, not to follow team tactics thoroughly. In such a football, Lee Kang-in should be able to take the lead in taking the position and use his teammates to penetrate the path when the game is not going well. However, in the match against Jordan, the team was rather interfering with their performance.

Without the least amount of tactical support, it is impossible to ask an outstanding player to do it. The same was true of the 2019 Poland U20 World Cup, where Lee Kang-in stood out the most. As a member of the tactics equal to his teammates at the start of the tournament, Lee Kang-in was tasked with not catching many balls and working hard on defense. However, when Lee Kang-in failed to show any power and lost his first game, it gradually changed to a soccer centered on Lee Kang-in. As the formation itself changed to give full power to Lee Kang-in, such as 3-5-1-1 or 4-2-3-1, Lee Kang-in was able to contribute to the runner-up and win the Golden Ball (MVP).

Even at the level of partial tactics, Lee Kang-in and key players nearby must work together, but they are still not very good. The right fullback who works with Lee Kang-in does not work well when it is Seol Young-woo or Kim Tae-hwan. In particular, in theory, Seol Young-woo, who has various movements, can work together more than Kim Tae-hwan in a straight line, and in the previous warm-up match, it seemed to have a synergy effect. However, when entering the Asian Cup finals, the movement was not organized, so the positions overlapped with each other when attacking or defending, and they were in a place where they could not pass each other.

Cho Kyu-sung's poor performance is also due to his inability to use good teamwork with Lee Kang-in. One of the important reasons why Cho Kyu-sung is the main Korean striker is that he has good teamwork with Lee Kang-in. The attack route that Cho Kyu-sung receives from Lee Kang-in's cross with his head or feet is simple and powerful. However, there is no situation in which Lee Kang-in can look at the door and aim for Cho Kyu-sung's head.

Also, above all, Lee Kang-in's biggest specialty is through-pass following ballkeeping, and Son Heung-min, who can make good use of it, penetrated diagonally near Lee Kang-in and disturbed the opponent.

He was also successful in the U20 World Cup in terms of teamwork with players around him. At that time, striker Oh Se-hoon continued to play tailored to Lee Kang-in as the competition progressed. The two players continued to exchange balls before the game started, and entered the real game with a habit of passing each other. Even if they do not plan all the detailed tactics, it may be an easy solution to often pair and train players who can be considered partners with Lee Kang-in.

If a coach puts in place a good place to enable players to demonstrate their skills, he or she will do his or her job even if he or she keeps an eye on it. This can sometimes be a masterpiece. However, if a coach devises a tactic to hinder his or her performance, he or she will have problems. Korea is at a crossroads. As problems have emerged in two consecutive group matches, there is a growing need to correct them.   먹튀검증