| Day | Time | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 12:30 PM | Kwon Chang Hoon | Dijon | @IC Croix (Cup) | None |
| Wednesday | 12:30 PM | Ji Dong Won | Augsburg | @Holstein Kiel (Cup) | None |
| Wednesday | 12:30 PM | Koo Ja Cheol | Augsburg | @Holstein Kiel (Cup) | None |
| Thursday | 3:00 PM | Lee Kang In | Valencia | @Real Betis (Cup) | BeIn |
| Off | Ki Sung Yueng | Newcastle | |||
| Off | Suk Hyun Jun | Reims | |||
| Off | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | |||
| Off | Paik Seung Ho | Girona |
Kwon Chang Hoon-- I watched large chunks but to be honest, wasn't paying the greatest attention. He played the full 90, and seemed to be quite physical and industrious in the parts when I paid attention which were good signs but I also didn't see much exciting either. I was surprised to see KCH in the squad... I'd expect him to be rested vs a low level opponent but maybe a late cameo if things are going tough.
Ji Dong Won-- A great match by Ji as he played in an interesting left wing role where his positioning ranged from that of a LWB to a LCM. But his first large contribution was driving ahead as a traditional winger and crossing into the box which earned a penalty for their first goal. He did have a couple mistakes, most particularly not tracking an attacker who slipped in behind, but he did recover in time and his positive contributions far outshone those few errors. Ji's intelligence really paid off with some smart passes and touches and he seemed confident to make runs of his own as well. He ran out of gas around the hour mark, and was subbed off for Koo. With short turnaround for a cup, we will see if Baum wants to keep things going with a small cushion to the bottom, but I would rest Ji for more important league play given injury history.
Koo Ja Cheol-- He came on as a sub for the tired Ji but the match was kinda out of gas so didn't have to do much in the RCM role. Unlike Ji, he could probably use the minutes to make a case in a cup match to replace some of the weaker players in various spots in Augsburg's midfield and so I'd expect a start though unclear if in Ji's spot or say that of Hahn/Moravek.
Lee Kang In-- I think an injury required a third sub to be burned before he could come on.
Ki Sung Yueng-- Out injured but Rafa said he's near a return.
Suk Hyun Jun-- Made the squad and came on around 70 minutes and scored with his first two touches of the match! It was a nice control and well taken finish. I didn't see the rest of the match, but hopefully goal pushes him forward for second half of the season.
Son Heung Min-- Poch leaned on Son again despite the short turnaround and again Son rewarded Poch with a crucial goal, a match winner this week, and a MOTM performance. Against a static Newcastle, Poch designed a gameplan reducing the work Son had to do, who was nominally a winger to start, and then tinkering some more when even that minimal defensive work was too much, aligning him as a second forward. Son showed great maturity to pick and choose to make his runs, and very rarely did his measured efforts come up short. And when he did turn it on, he showed that same confidence in his dribble that he's been showing recently and his shot was hit extremely hard even if the GK probably should have saved it. It was great to see Son have a huge impact on a day when he was clearly tired when previously we've seen him fail in these situations so often.
Paik Seung Ho-- It seems he's a first teamer now as he stays with first team past the window close and didn't play for B team but for now he's just warming the bench as he was an unused sub.
