"Shock" contestant is out...Lee Kang-in, unfair to the bench + tactical scapegoat again? 'The Existence of Deadly Difficulties'

Oct 01, 2024

RMC Sports did not include Usman Dembele in the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) squad, who left for London today for a Champions League match against Arsenal on September 30 (Korea time). Enrique's choice was made by himself. On the other hand, Vitinha returned to the squad, saying Dembele did not even accompany him to the away game in London.

Along with Dembele's departure, attention was also paid to whether Lee Kang-in will be selected. AP Yonhap News

Can Lee Kang-in keep his starting position against Arsenal.

One of the leading contenders, Usman Dembele, fell into a feud with coach Luis Enrique, but the variables of whether he will start or not still appear to remain.

France's RMC Sports did not include Usman Dembele in the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) squad who went on an away trip to London today for a Champions League match against Arsenal on September 30 (Korea time). Enrique's choice was made by himself. On the other hand, Vitinha returned to the squad, saying Dembele did not even accompany him to the away game in London.

PSG is set to play the second round of the European Champions League (UCL) league phase in 2024-2025 against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on the 2nd. PSG, which won 1-0 in the first round match against Girona, must win the away match at Arsenal to gain an advantage in its future schedule. In particular, the results of this UCL are more important because 36 teams need to take the top eight spots in the league phase to go straight to the round of 16 tournaments early.

Arsenal is a stronger opponent than the previous opponent Gina. It is a team that is considered a second-tier system along with Manchester City in the English Premier League (EPL), and there are many young and promising players showing good performance, so PSG has a lot to pay attention to.

In this situation, the exclusion of Dembele's call-up list is a shocking decision. Dembele has been an ace since Kylian Mbappe left PSG this summer. He has already scored four goals and three assists this season, and Enrique has consistently used Dembele as a starter in important games. However, ahead of the Arsenal expedition, Enrique left Dembele in Paris at all and did not even allow him to accompany him.

It started with a league game against Stadren. L'Equipe said 'Dembele had an argument with Enrique after the game against Rennes. Enrique said he did not welcome this, explaining that there was a problem between the two, which resulted in the exclusion of the list on a disciplinary level. However, Enrique denied the internal problems of the team at the pre-press conference against Arsenal, pointing out that it was not a feud but a matter of team commitment.

With Dembele's departure, attention was drawn to whether Lee Kang-in started. Lee Kang-in, who also played an active role in the fake 9th game in the last game, was widely expected to play as a starter in the match against Arsenal.

France's Le Parisien added 'Dembele will miss the Arsenal trip, so Moani will be put in. Lee Kang-in succeeded in scoring his third goal this season by playing as a fake No. 9 against Ren. Lee Kang-in had less time to play than other players, but he is ranked third in the team after Barcola and Dembele, predicting that Lee Kang-in will once again start at the front line.

France's Kit Football also 'Enrique should trust Lee Kang-in, who is good at fake No. 9, once again. However, he said that Lee Kang-in will build a three-top with Colomuani and Barcola, saying that tall players will want to respond to Arsenal's set-piece. Aleppari in France could be a golden opportunity for Lee Kang-in. He is more defensive than Dembele and has impressive quality. However, it is not yet known whether he will play as a right winger or a central striker.

However, there were claims that it was unclear whether Lee Kang-in would be selected. The reason is the physical and set-piece defense problems that PSG has to face against Arsenal.

France's Le10 Sport may have several resources from PSG for the match against Arsenal. Ahead of this match, Enrique said Vitinya, Nuno Mendes, Marco Asensio and Desiree Doue returned'PSG had struggled with set-piece issues for a while. This is because PSG does not have many tall players. The news also suggests Enrique could be tempted to consider certain players more of a priority to face very strong Arsenal in set-pieces. Therefore, Fabian Lewis can start, and Randal Colomuani can also play in Asensio and Lee Kang-in's seats.

In fact, Arsenal is the strongest set-piece defense and attack team in the EPL this season. Arsenal's set-piece attack also collapsed EPL big clubs such as Manchester City and Tottenham. As an Enrique coach, it is bound to be a concern. There is also a possibility that players with good physicality will be considered first against Arsenal players with superior physical conditions. If that happens, Asensio, Colomuani, Fabian Lewis, and Zaire Emery can get opportunities in the midfield and the offense instead of Lee Kang-in, who is relatively short.

Enrique's intention is also unclear. Enrique said in a recent interview that `My job is to do unfair things"I'm going to be unfair throughout this season. I hope it will be unfair to many of them. It means they are ready, and it shows they are at a high level. I tried the best possible way, but it was unfair to four or five players. That's life," he said, explaining that he had no choice but to be unfair to some players, including Lee Kang-in, in the selection of starters. Again, the possibility that Lee Kang-in will fall victim to tactics and Enrique's unfair choice cannot be ruled out.

Along with the shocking rift between the coach and the player, attention is being paid to whether Lee Kang-in will be selected. Attention is focusing on whether Lee Kang-in will be able to be named in the starting position in the absence of competitors, or whether he will fall victim to coach Enrique's tactical choices again this time.

digh1229@sportschosun.com