Almost summer vacation for this blog. Reminder that you can follow me on Twitter (use the follow button on the right margin) if you want to follow the transfer info and other more day-to-day news. This blog is primarily functional (schedule+recap).
That said, sometime after the season, I will probably put up on this blog an end of season recap for the players and before the season starts (or maybe soon after), a preview for next year.
The recaps:
Kim Bo Kyung was pulled after a half in what was most likely his last match in a Wigan shirt. While it may have been helpful to perform better on a televised match for scouts, he had little to play for with Wigan already relegated and his contract ending.
Hong Jeong Ho on the other hand had a very good match. In particular, he showed a lot more confidence in playing aggressively, such as in the air where he was a force all day. That aerial presence granted him two really good chances at goals from set pieces but unfortunately he couldn't quite find the back of the net. He also had a good clearance off the line and was solid throughout, though Koln's defensive setup meant not as much challenge as usual.
Jji Dong Won was more of a mixed bag. He came on reasonably early and had some nice passes and started to assert himself a lot more than prior weeks. But he also didn't threaten the opposition goal.
Kim Jin Su came on as a sub around an hour. Unfortunately, he was caught forward way too much vs. the amount of offensive contributions he added. While he may have relied on raw speed at lower levels of football, he really has to balance his offensive positioning against the defensive responsibilities for even the diminished levels required by Hoffenheim's aggressive approach.
Yun Suk Young came on at halftime as a sub after an injury to Caulker. It was really one of his best performances in the PL, with some solid tackles and adding a lot of push to QPR's attack. Unfortunately, QPR lost and the slim odds of survival got slimmer, with QPR needing to win all three matches to even have a hope. Hopefully his form stays at this level and can establish himself as a top-tier option if not for next season, then in the near future.
Ki Sung Yueng was somewhat surprisingly on the bench again. Is Monk testing out how they might look without Ki next season ahead of a potential sale? Or is Ki run down from a long season (WC+PL+AC)? Or it could be that Monk is sticking with what works. Either way, Ki came on fairly late at 78 minutes and didn't have all that much to do vs. a lackluster Stoke City side. But Ki found himself on the receiving end of a nice pass from Shelvey and slotted in the second goal to ensure Swansea got all three points. Ki's goal scoring has been quite impressive this season and he stands a chance to be the club's top scorer.
Son Heung Min continuously caused Bayern's B-team lots of trouble in the back with his pace and dribbling. But despite lots of hard work over all 90 minutes, he really didn't capitalize on his opportunities or his teammates couldn't quite connect with him either. Somewhat disappointing despite a strong statistical performance but a better performance that prior weeks and Leverkusen remains in the fight for 3rd and automatic CL qualification.
Lee Chung Yong was an unused substitution despite Crystal Palace needing goals. It may be interesting to see how he's going to be used for the rest of the year as Pardew will test some ideas for next season with little else to play for.
Koo Ja Cheol put in a better shift as he seems to be recovering from a prior dip in form. He had a nice run and exchange with Okazaki and put in a good shot that was barely deflected into the post and was then substituted out at 71 minutes. Not a vintage Koo performance but a lot of decent pressing and passing.
Park Joo Ho was left out with injured calf. Hopefully he can get fit again soon.
Suk Hyun Jun played 90 in a loss.
