PSG Completely Different From Mallorca
Lee Kang-in started the 2023-2024 French League 1 opening game against Lorien at Parc des Frans in Paris, France on the 13th and made a successful French stage debut by playing about 82 minutes until the 37th minute of the second half. 스포츠토토핫
Lee Kang-in, who played as a right wing forward, moved the most actively among the strikers who started. He revitalized with his unique creative pass and ability to move forward, and thanks to this, he was able to play a lot of time even though he was not in 100% physical condition. It was a confirmation of PSG manager Luis Enrique's trust in Lee Kang-in.
It was also a game that confirmed the assignment. Lee Kang-in was a member of Majorca, which is considered a weak player in Spain's La Liga last season. Mallorca did not lead the game because of its relatively low power. According to soccer statistics website HussaudCom, Mallorca's average ball share per game in the 2022-2023 season was only 40.4%. It was a team that lost to the opponent in market share by 4-6. Naturally, Mallorca was familiar with the pattern of focusing on defense and scoring a goal with a counterattack. In the process, Lee Kang-in served as an advance guard for counterattacks.
PSG is different. On this day, PSG had a 78% ball share. With Lorien building a five-back and all the field players coming down the half-line and focusing on defense, PSG owned the ball for most of the time and sought opportunities to attack.
It overwhelmed the market share but did not create many decisive opportunities. Lorient's defense strategy, which gives little space, worked. Lee Kang-in often caught the ball, but he failed to create something from nothing through his long-term dribble. There may be the aftermath of a thigh muscle injury, but it was difficult to even try because two or three Lorien players were stuck together. In the meantime, Lorien's "choking defense" made PSG's attackers difficult to the extent that he seemed to be great at using several sharp plays. Left wing forward Marco Asensio showed little threat, and striker Gonzalo Hamus also scored a sharp shot in the first half, but the overall move was regrettable.
From now on, we should get used to this pattern of play. Last season, PSG had an average ball share of 60.9% per game. Even if it's not to the extent of the match against Lorien, in the future, instead of owning the ball for a longer time, the task of breaking through the opponent's tight defense is solved. This means that a completely different style is needed from the play in Mallorca, which mainly used counterattacks.
You have to be more sophisticated and bold in League One. If many defenders are concentrated near the penalty box, the probability can be increased only by using more accurate and detailed kicks. Sometimes it is also necessary to actively use one's specialty, dribbling. With Neymar and Kylian Mbappe not playing, Lee Kang-in should leave a stronger impact as he plays as a wing forward. It may be difficult for world-class players in the same position, but they still need to show a little more individual ability to gain the upper hand in the PSG survival game.
