Lee Kang In is off to U20 WC instead of finishing out the season rotting on the bench so for now he gets removed from the schedule. Let's hope for a move to a better first team situation next season.
| Day | Time | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 1:00 PM | Kwon Chang Hoon | Dijon | Rennes | None |
| Saturday | 7:00 AM | Paik Seung Ho | Girona | @Celta Vigo | BeIn Play |
| Saturday | 7:30 AM | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | @Man City | NBCSN |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Ji Dong Won | Augsburg | Stuttgart | Fox Sports 2 |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Koo Ja Cheol | Augsburg | Stuttgart | Fox Sports 2 |
| Saturday | 12:30 PM | Ki Sung Yueng | Newcastle | Southampton | NBC |
| Sunday | 11:00 AM | Suk Hyun Jun | Reims | Saint-Etienne | BeIn Play |
Lee Kang In— At least in final game for now, LKI did come on as the aggregate line was 5-1. He was playing as a right winger and his enthusiasm didn’t quite line up with his teammates who looked fatigued by the heavy rain. So while his passes looked decent, little resulted. He did struggle on defensive duties as he hasn’t adjusted to size/skill combo of first team play. He did have a good chance to score but his shot was deflected out. It’s off to Poland and we will see what happens this summer
Kwon Chang Hoon-- Has been on the margins and we'll see how they setup for a hopeful relegation playoff battle but for now it seems KCH's role looks like bench player for now.
Paik Seung Ho-- Not sure if he gets to warm the bench or not.
Son Heung Min-- When Tottenham so quickly let in the first goal, things looked dark but Son quickly brought the crucial momentum with an away goal, which did benefit from a deflection on the way in. His second goal was far better, curling a powerful shot into the side netting. And when things looked lost late in the match, his drive into the box earned a corner which started the sequence leading to Llorente's goal.
That said, fatigue clearly showed at various times in the match, and should have scored when one on one with keeper. He also struggled in defense, particularly a slip that lead to a goal, as Poch had his wingers drop deeper in defensive support against the blazing Man City attack. Yet Son provided when they needed him the most and his heroics mean a CL semi final even if he has to miss the first leg due yellow accumulations.
Of course, to keep their top four alive they have to go against the hardest remaining challenge for that goal... Man City away again. I doubt Poch rotates Son out but maybe with another match next week, he'll be opting for defense and bring Son on late to sneak out a late win.
Ji Dong Won-- It seems he might be available but we'll see in a critical six pointer which can all but assure safety. Cordova is done for season so if he's fit, he should be in squad though possibly from bench to the hot hand of Richter.
Koo Ja Cheol-- Koo should start in the midfield somewhere though we'll see what shape Schmidt applies in this critical match.
Ki Sung Yueng-- I don't think there's a reason for Rafa to change CMs except to test out players for next season. So hard to tell, but maybe Rafa wants to get to 40 points and not change things too much just yet.
Suk Hyun Jun-- We'll see if more minutes last weekend a sign of a bigger role or an outlier. My guess is bench to start.
