It's been a while but back at the computer with some free time. I got too tied up with work travel and then vacation to do this sooner, so apologies for all the hazy memories.
I was gonna put in a longer WC post at the end but I'm running out of willpower, so I'll say something brief. The squad worked really hard and it was disappointing that they started off so tentatively. While the unpredictability of the WC was unforeseeable, the mistakes by Shin Tae Yong were obvious going in and frustrating given the actual opportunity to progress. The lack of forward options, either in a physical presence like Suk, or a playmaker like Ji, evidenced itself with desperate subs in final two matches and KSW's terrible showing. The back three which has looked prone to failure as they barely understood their responsibilities blew apart. JHS who has never looked like a legit CB was an epic disaster. Korean defenders tendencies to slide tackle excessively bit them in the rear over and over again. Koo's rust from injury really created a hole that was hard to fill.
But so many positives despite STY's attempts to ruin the tournament. First was Son who worked so industriously even when misused as a partial wingback and really stepped up to carry an offense on his back impressively. And Cho Hyun Woo showed us that a quality GK can hide a lot of defensive problems and inspire a whole team to defend confidently. And of course beating Germany who needed a win so badly hopefully shows future managers that we aren't so far off that we don't need to play scared. Despite not having out best guys available, and particularly losing our captain in Ki and then Koo mid-match, we beat the world champions. And that sorta ending is really all I had hoped for.
Onto the season recaps...
Son Heung Min -- After a slow start recovering from broken arm, Son really established himself at a high level. On top of scoring great goals, Son has improved his movement so much, both alone and in combination with his teammates. He also appears to have improved mentally where he no longer had the complete losses of confidence that have plagued his career. It was unfortunate for Son to pick up an ankle injury at the end and for Tottenham to again come slightly short on trophies but a good season for both.
Soon joining the team for preseason, he'll be first looking to the Asian Games to free himself from military duty. We'll see how that impacts his role at Tottenham where an absence could open the door for someone else.
Ki Sung Yueng -- The first major transfer already for Ki who quickly signs with Newcastle after World Cup. A fairly surprising move where I thought he'd go for location or a club challenging higher but perhaps the allure of playing for Rafa to live up to his earlier Kirrard nickname played a part. Then again, perhaps some of the reported top tier interest like Milan wasn't concrete enough.
And a lack of that interest would reflect on a so-so season from Ki who struggled to consistently control matches on a team that looked headed to relegation for much of the season. Playing in a deeper role for most, it accentuated his defensive shortcomings and shackled Ki offensively and it seems the upcoming WC and transfer window seemed to weigh on him towards the end. That said, I thought his knee was done for last season and he stepped up and did have more than a few quality matches where I have hope that Ki can still be a solid contributor to a PL team.
Lee Seung Woo -- A move to a just promoted side is always risky as the fight for survival often leads to young players being ignored for "experienced" veterans. And when he did get his chances, LSW looked like a square peg in a round hole, where his lack of size and desire to pass were not a good fit for a direct playing side. Health didn't help as he picked up an injury in second half that prevented him from even being in the deep matchday squad. Yet when LSW did get some minutes, he did flash some of the skills that made him a touted kid with some great ball skills, quickness and aggression but also some big flaws such as a fairly inaccurate pass and uncertain shot.
It's unclear where LSW goes from here. He'll probably want to play more and may be a poor fit for Verona in Serie B, and he showed promise but lack of polish that might scare potential buyers. We'll see where he ends up but there's still hope in LSW turning good even if it looks a harder path than he thought.
Kwon Chang Hoon -- A breakout season for KCH and probably the best one of all the KPAs, KCH helped Dijon rise up from relegation battler to dangerous mid-table team. KCH showed off his knack for scoring and also added plenty of midfield quality too even if he spent his minutes in a less natural winger or less frequently a second forward role. While he did show his lack of top tier experience often, particularly playing too eagerly and making silly mistakes, KCH played so well that a potential summer move up wouldn't be impossible. But on the final match of the season, KCH tore his achilles ruining his WC chance and importantly for his career, his Asian Games spot. A terrible end to a great season and we'll have to see how soon and how well he can come back from a major injury. He still looks a long way from playing as he showed up to camp in a hard cast which means he's not even started rehab yet.
Suk Hyun Jun -- Suk started off well after a surprise transfer to L1, scoring some good scrappy goals when he got his chance but a midseason injury put a hard brake onto his play. He struggled for minutes after and when he did get his chance at the end of the season, couldn't do enough to save Troyes from relegation. Suk stayed to true to what I've seen of his career so far: a hard worker with some good skills but also a bit incomplete that impairs his ability to create danger besides scoring. Then again, a big guy who can score and head is good enough for many and Troyes bought out his option knowing that he has potential buyers, including Angers where a deal appears to be imminent.
Of course, his pending military duty means the end of his European career seems imminent, and that uncertainty could play into a summer move, either with his exclusion from AG squad or time away at AG. I imagine Suk would be ok with playing out the season with Troyes in the worst case but military service feels like a sad ending for a guy who has worked so, so very hard to get where he is now.
Koo Ja Cheol -- A tough season for Koo who showed his flexibility and played well on a talent-poor Augsburg side but also felt was always just shy from his best. Starting the season at DM, Koo showed his great passing but also his worst flaw which is his defensive discipline. For a defensive minded coach like Baum, that meant that Koo lost his spot mid-fall and felt a move in the winter window could be possible. Koo took advantage of his opportunities however and earned not only a role for rest of season but also an extension on his contract and even wearing the captain's armband once. Disappointing for Koo must have been his lack of goals and really grabbing persistent hold on any position. And also disappointing for Koo was an injury that ended his season early and also really looked to have negatively impacted his WC.
We will see how Koo is used this upcoming season but a veteran who can play almost anywhere ahead of the back line on a team with minimal resources like Augsburg will find plenty of use.
Lee Chung Yong -- It's sad when the biggest moment for LCY was getting his manager canned with a terrible backpass that was stolen for a goal. Bad luck also impacted LCY as well, where the hiring of his former manager who likes LCY made a move harder and then impossible when injuries at the end of the January window piled up. When he did play, he didn't do much with his chances and looked a bit lost. And so with no surprise his contract ended after a wasted season. While LCY has expressed a desire to stay in Europe, UK will be a difficult place to get a work permit and for a guy who stuck around in England rather than seek better opportunities elsewhere in the continent, desire to go and demand for his skills may be in short supply. It will be sad to see the potential end of his European career on such a meek note.
Other guys I don't track as well
Hwang Hee Chan (Salzburg) -- A great season for HHC where his industry, pace and physicality were a great asset was derailed by injury where he struggled to have the same impact and made his flaws more visible. His lack of basic technical skills are at times astonishingly poor, with poor touch, errant passing and inefficient finishing all being huge problems. Then again, he's such a physical presence that he can contribute especially against overmatched Austrian teams and also when Salzburg are overmatched and need someone to keep opposition teams from sending all ten men in attack. He signed an extension which seems a bit of a stalling tactic for both HHC and Salzburg... the extension means he's unlikely to figure into Leipzig (Salzburg's parent club) plans soon but his EL showings have to have some teams still intrigued by such a raw jewel.
Lee Jin Hyun (Austria Wien) -- It started off so excitingly for LJH who scored on his debut and featured regularly in the heavy matchload for Austria Wien. But in the second half of the season, he soon fell out of disfavor and soon not even making matchday squads and Austria Wien not exercising his buy option. I didn't get to watch much of his play but it does feel a bit disappointing given the level of play that he couldn't quite do a bit more.
Park Yi Young/Lee Seung Won (St Pauli/St Pauli II) -- Both appeared to do well for the reserve side in similar roles as DMs and soon PYY earned a spot filling in for the first team squad. Unfortunately a good first showing was soon followed up with a terrible one and his permanent first team move took a while to happen. But hard work from PYY and he's now a first teamer, though without a specific position as he's played in DM, CB and FB positions. He's bought himself some more time and hopefully his industry is rewarded. LSW has also trained at times with the first team so we will see what this season holds.
Choi Kyoung Rok (St Pauli II) -- Injury and lack of play caused a wasted season for CKR who falls from potential BL move to now transfering to Karlsruher. Hopefully he gets his career back on track at the BL3 side.
Seo Young Jae (Hamburg II) -- He seemed so close to making the first team, training with them at various times, especially when HSV II's manager moved to first team but he never quite got there. Then again he was recovering from a bad knee injury. Like CKR, he's looking to rebuild his career at Duisburg.
Paik Seung Ho (Peralada) -- A great showing in a preseason friendly resulted in a move to Peralada, Girona's B team. It probably didn't hurt that he's probably well thought of in the Guardiola hierarchy that runs Girona as a feeder team. It feels a bit odd to figure out how well he's done, as he was frequently subbed off first and sometimes even benched but also trained with first team at various points of the season as well. I'm hoping the latter is the true story with the former being reflective of lack of minutes the season before last.
Kim Young Kiu (Academica) -- A good season for him apparently at Merida and earned player of the season, but he couldn't keep them from relegation and we'll see what happens so many levels down.
Jang Gyeol Hee -- A weird move to Greece ended up not so good as he was playing for their reserve team and posting Shawshank Redemption pictures as the season ended. I imagine he'll have to restart his career in Korea or Japan for a club willing to gamble on a kid who looked so good not so long ago.
Hwang Mun Ki -- Ki looked at times like a regular but by the end of the season was rarely making the squad. Not sure if he was injured as he's featured already in the preseason.
Park Jung Bin -- A long time off recovering from an ACL injury but I have to admit to being impressed watching him rehab on his Instagram feed. So far so good on his recovery as he came back into starting XI.
