Failure to advance to the EPL Lee Kang-in is not visible. The dilemma of Hong Myung-bo's passing point is difficult to solve
Sep 10, 2025
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The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, drew 2-2 against Mexico in a friendly match at Geodyspark in Nashville, Tennessee on the 10th (Korea time). Hong Myung-bo, who finished the two consecutive away games in the U.S., with one win and one draw, raised expectations for the World Cup.
As much as the results and contents exceeded expectations, Korea showed improvements. One of the improvements in the match against Mexico is how to melt Lee Kang-in in the new tactics. Recently, coach Hong Myung-bo has been continuously using a 3-4-3 formation. During defense, wingbacks will switch to a 5-4-1 formation that comes down.
On this day, Lee Kang-in took the right wing forward and started, but it was difficult to get a passing score except for a few highlights. Pass play with teammates was not the same as before, and Lee Kang-in's individual performance was not good either. Lee Kang-in likes to touch the ball a lot, so turnovers are inevitable, but he lost the ball several times in scenes where turnovers should not come out.
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However, if there are two central midfielders, it is difficult to use Lee Kang-in in the midfield. The central midfielder's role in the 3-4-3 formation is quite numerous. He has to move like a box-to-box midfielder and play all the roles from attack to defense. This role is not suitable for Lee Kang-in. This is because Lee Kang-in is a player who shines more when attacking. Lee Kang-in, who has improved defense, is not a good player to protect the defense like an authentic central midfielder.
In the end, if the three-back formation is used in the current composition of the Korean national team, Lee Kang-in's position will inevitably be fixed in the right wing forward. Lee Kang-in, who played as a right wing forward in PSG and the national team, is not an awkward position, but it may be difficult for Lee Kang-in to shine often in the three-back tactics.
When Lee Kang-in takes charge of the right wing forward in the World Cup qualifying round, he mainly formed a 4-2-3-1 formation or a 4-3-3 formation against Asian countries with weaker objective power. At this time, South Korea played a leading game and entrusted Lee Kang-in to assemble the game. It is Lee Kang-in's favorite role. In fact, Lee Kang-in's performance was also great.
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Lee Kang-in, who can shine in this role if his individual performance rises, is in a very difficult state to compete for the starting lineup at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He is not the No. 1 player on the bench, let alone the main player. Lee Kang-in, who cannot maintain good condition, does not seem easy to adapt to new tactics. Coach Hong Myung-bo is also expected to be deeply concerned as superstars such as Lee Kang-in are desperate to perform well in the World Cup
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
