Paris Saint-Germain FC (PSG) won 4-1 against Le Havre AC in the first round of the French League in the 2024/25 season at Stade Ocean in Normandy Le Havre, France on the 17th (Korea Standard Time).
This season, PSG has faced a period of great revolution. Kylian Mbappe, the star of the team and the center of the French national team, has left for Real Madrid. PSG is in a situation where it has to break away from its dependence on ace and make a new round.
Lee Kang-in saved the team in a difficult situation. Lee Kang-in scored with a fantastic curl kick from the right side of the opponent’s box in 2:04 of the first half. According to “Opta” on the same day, Lee Kang-in’s score was the fastest opening game score since Mamadou Niang scored the opening game at 1:42 of 2009 as a member of the Olympique de Marseille. PSG, which gained momentum with Lee Kang-in’s score, defeated Le Havre’s pursuit in the second half.
On the same day, French media “Le Parisien” gave Lee Kang-in a 6.5-point rating and gave him the second highest rating after Vitinha’s seven points. Compliments from legends such as Patric Vieira toward Lee Kang-in also continued.
Lee Kang-in’s excellent performance in the opening game was confirmed, but at the same time, concerns about the team’s compatibility with PSG grew.
First of all, Lee Kang-in is in a bad situation in terms of the composition of midfielders. This summer, PSG recruited defensive midfielder Joao Neves from SL Benfica. PSG uses a 4-3-3 formation, and Luis Enrique has formed three midfielders, Neves, Vitinya, and Warren Zaire Emery, through Neves’ recruitment. Lee Kang-in’s position to play a central attacking midfielder has become ambiguous. On top of that, as Neves has an outstanding performance as a two-assist, he is expected to be limited to the participation of offensive midfielders, a position where Lee Kang-in’s performance can stand out.
Of course, it’s not a bad idea to be given a free role as a wing forward. Looking at the opening game alone, however, Enrique’s wing forwards have been judged to be widely spread on the sides, and tend to demand crosses after breaking through with speed or individual skills. His role is close to a traditional winger, but it is different from Lee Kang-in’s advantage of being able to make plays in the side and stabbing sharp passes. The striker’s composition also includes players who are not the target man style, such as Nicklas Fülkruk of the German national team.
On top of that, Hamus, who was close to Lee Kang-in and delivered assist with fantastic teamwork in the opening game, was injured and is expected to be out for about three months. It is also something to consider that he cannot be with a teammate who works well for a while.안전놀이터
Overall, Lee Kang-in’s opening game was a match that confirmed his outstanding skills once again and at the same time worried about his compatibility with the team. Of course, Lee Kang-in has the talent to overcome even this, but fans would not want him to be in difficult conditions. That’s why he hopes conditions will improve and Lee Kang-in will explode his potential.
