Coach Luis Enrique explained why he couldn’t start Lee Kang-in every game.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will meet Stade Reims at 4 a.m. on the 22nd (Korea time) in the fifth round of the French Ligue 1 in the 2024-25 season at Stade August Drone in Reims, France. PSG leads the league with four wins (12 points), while Reims is seventh in the league with two wins, one draw and one loss (7 points).
Ahead of the game, Enrique attended a pre-press conference. At the meeting, a question about Lee Kang-in was raised.
Lee Kang-in has shown his sharp form since the beginning of the season. Lee Kang-in scored the first goal in the opening match of the French Ligue 1 team against Le Havre on April 17 and became the star of PSG’s first official match this season.
“He became the fastest player to score a goal (2:04) since Mamadou Niang (1:42) in the 2009-10 season,” soccer statistics media Opta said. The score on the day was also named PSG’s August Scoring of the Month.
He has scored goals for two consecutive games. PSG beat Montpellier 6-0 in the second round of the French Ligue 1 championship held at the Parc des Princes in Paris on June 24. However, Lee stepped on as a substitute in the 16th minute of the second half, and scored a decisive goal at a time when his team was already 5-0.
Fans recognized Lee Kang-in for his performance in two games. “Parisnolimit,” which delivers PSG news, said on the 1st, “Lee Kang-in was selected as PSG Player of the Month in August 2024. João Neves, Barcola Bradley and Willian Pacho were behind Lee Kang-in.” The fan page is an influential place for PSG fans, with 740,000 followers.
Lee Kang-in, however, started playing on the bench again in his last showdown with LOSC Lille. He was assigned as a substitute in the 29th minute of the second half, and was given less time to play than in the last game. It was a difficult time for Lee to display great performance.
Coach Enrique continues to operate the rotation. Lee Kang-in played 90 minutes full-time against Brest in the fourth round. In particular, Lee Kang-in was given a new role by playing the role of a rear playmaker in the match, and was praised for his perfect performance.
However, he was once again excluded from the starting lineup for the next game. In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League phase against Girona on the 19th, he was listed as a substitute. Lee Kang-in was substituted in the 18th minute of the second half and played for about 30 minutes.
He has been impressive every time he plays, but Enrique is using Lee Kang-in as a starter once and as a substitute once. In response, he said, “This means that the players are all ready at a high level.”
“My job is to do unfair things. I will explain why. In the game against Girona, 16 players were eligible to start just because they showed on that day. However, only 11 players can play. I will be unfair throughout this season,” he said, adding that he cannot field all the players as starters. 메이저놀이터
He continued, “I hope it’s really unfair to a lot of them. Because it will mean that they are all ready, and they are all at a high level. This is the only requirement that players have when signing. Whether this is ugly or beautiful, this is what PSG coaches do. I hope to do it in the best way possible. It’s true that four or five players were unfair in the last game, but this is life.”
Finally, Enrique said, “Lee Kang-in had signed with the club before I came. I have known him since La Liga. He is a special player, and there is something different about him. He can play as a midfielder or striker. He fits the way our team plays, he is smart when he has or does not have the ball. He can play in many positions, he is very versatile, he is strong physically and technically brilliant. I am very happy to have him.”
