Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) got exactly what they wanted when they signed Lee Kang-In.
PSG defeated Stade Brestois 29 3-2 in the 10th round of the 2023-24 French Ligue 1 at Stade Francis Le Bleu in Brest, France at 9 p.m. ET. The win was PSG's third straight and moved them into second place with six wins, three draws, and one loss (21 points).
PSG deployed a 4-2-2-2 formation. Kylian Mbappe and Gonzalo Higuain lined up up front, with Bradley Barca and Lee Kang-In attacking on the left and right flanks. Warren Zaire-Emericka and Fabian Lewis partnered in the middle. The back four was Luca Hernandez, Milan Skriniar, Danilo, and Achraf Hakimi. Gianluigi Donnarumma was in goal.
Mbappe and Lee shined from the start. In the third minute of the first half, Mbappe dropped to the second line and received the ball, which Lee ran onto. Mbappe slid a precise pass to Lee. After a simple touch, Lee took a shot that was saved by the goalkeeper.
In the fifth minute, Lee received the ball outside the penalty box. Mbappe raised his hands high for the ball. Lee's cross was a little too high and didn't result in a shot, but it showed that the two players were working well together.
The chemistry between Mbappe and Lee continued. In the 17th minute, Mbappe found himself in possession of the ball, this time down the left side. This time, Lee asked Mbappe for the ball. Mbappe's cross was delivered accurately, but due to the sudden rain, Lee couldn't get a good touch on the ball and the chance was ruined.
The light-footed Lee had a fantastic chance in the 21st minute. As soon as PSG gained possession through pressure, they switched to a counterattack. Lee picked up the ball and played a nice one-two with Hammous, who immediately fired a shot that was blocked by the keeper. 안전토토사이트
Lee made a crazy pass in the 28th minute. With PSG on the counterattack, Lee wasted no time in delivering a pass to an onrushing Mbappe. Lee's fantastic out-and-out pass traveled over 30 meters and was delivered right to Mbappe. Lee's pass gave Mbappe the perfect opportunity and he didn't miss.
Lee ran straight to Mbappe to share in the happy moment. The fact that his first assist for PSG went to Mbappe is a huge positive. Since the departure of Neymar and Lionel Messi, PSG have been criticized for not having a creative passer in the midfield.
In August, French publication Le Parisien wrote: "PSG is still lacking an element to initiate offensive play in its rebuilding process. This role should be left to new signing Lee Kang-in. According to our sources, PSG wants to turn him into a playmaker," said a source close to the club.
"PSG need to find a new creator with Messi and Neymar leaving the team. Enrique trusts him, and today's staff wants to transform him into a playmaker," the publication reported.
However, due to his injury and subsequent withdrawal from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, PSG's tactical experimentation has been postponed. In the meantime, the successful integration of Zaire-Emery into the team has solved the creativity problem, but it's still 2% short.
Enter Lee Kang-in. PSG coach Luis Enrique recently explained how he uses him, "In our system, his position is more of a central midfielder. But he can also play as a number nine or as a winger. He knows what to do and how to do it. He can score goals and make the final pass," he hinted. The implication is that he wants him to play in a central midfield role where he can be a playmaker, but also in a more offensive role at times.
Since then, Enrique has used Lee in a variety of positions. It's clear that Enrique intends to use Lee's versatility to the fullest, as he can contribute to the team from both the center and the flanks.
In the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage match against AC Milan, the right winger scored his debut goal for the team.
In this match, Lee also started on the right wing, but when he moved to the center, he played to his strengths and picked up his debut assist. In the 37th minute, Lee moved to the left side of the field and linked up with Mbappe in the middle.
Lee moved to the left in the 18th minute of the second half when Ousmane Dembele came on. The move to the left didn't affect Lee's performance. His through ball to Mbappe in the 25th minute came from the center. Right, left, or center, Lee is contributing to the team's creativity. He is showing why PSG signed him.
On this day, Lee played both left wing forward and center back. He played around 74 minutes, had 52 touches of the ball, a 90% pass completion rate, 1 key pass, 1 assist, 4 crosses (2 successful), 4 long passes (2 successful), 3 dribble attempts (2 successful), 2 shots on target, 1 foul, 14 contests (7 successful), and 4 tackles.
Football stats outlet Footmob gave Lee an 8.1 rating. It was the highest rating after Kylian Mbappe, who scored two goals, and Xherdan Shaqiri, who set up a brilliant goal. France's Get French Football gave Lee a 7 rating, saying, "Lee impressed with his ability to find space in the attacking third and his perfect passes. His pass to Mbappe from the back showed excellent technique and vision" and gave him a thumbs up.
"Maestro" is how the French Ligue 1 official social media account summarized Lee's performance. Injuries and an age-group call-up at the start of the season seemed to push Lee out of contention for a starting spot, but a fantastic October has erased all concerns.
Lee's October rise is very encouraging. Dembele, PSG's hard-fought acquisition from Barcelona this season, hasn't lived up to his transfer fee. His dazzling dribbling runs are often spectacular, but he's very inefficient. He hasn't been able to generate much offense either. With a little more work from Lee Kang-in, he could easily surpass Dembele in the local pecking order.
If PSG also use a 4-3-3 formation, the competition for the center of the field will be red hot. Manuel Ugarte and Zaire-Emericka could also play alongside him. Vitinha hasn't really come into his own yet, and Fabian Ruiz hasn't really capitalized on his opportunities. Both the flanks and the center are not bad for Lee to compete with.
Vincent Breguet, an expert for France's Eurosport, wrote in an article titled "Where should Lee play?" that "Lee is knocking on the door of Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) starting XI ahead of their Ligue 10 match against Brest. Aside from being a threat to Ousmane Dembele, he could also be a good alternative for the South Korean national soccer team as a central midfielder."
Meanwhile, PSG, despite Lee's brilliance, were left wanting on the defensive end. They easily won the game with back-to-back goals from Ziyir-Emerick Aubameyang and Mbappe, but conceded to Steve Mounier in the 43rd minute and Jeremy Le Duaroun in the seventh minute. Both were headers from side crosses. Defensive concentration was a serious problem.
Fortunately, PSG had a chance to win the game in the 40th minute when Randall Kolo Moani was awarded a penalty kick. Mbappe stepped up to take the spot kick and missed, but he was able to collect the rebound and finish off a hard-fought 3-2 victory.