Otherwise, a mixed bag and apologies for the weak reviews of BL2 action. Hopefully ESPN sort out their streaming issues soon.
UPDATE: Forgot about Son's crazy schedule here. Just updated to reflect Thursday now that cup was officially cancelled.
Thursday
Son Heung Min -- Tottenham go to Shkendija (EL) at 2PM on BleacherReport.com - On Sunday, Son was having a quiet match until Ndombele made a fantastic turn and throughball to Kane who crossed it to Son. While it looked a bit wide at first, Son was able to fire into goal from a tight angle and restore some momentum to the side. Southampton would make no attempt to adjust their backline to this attack, and so three more times did Kane set Son free with great passes and Son made no mistake scoring four goals in total. We've seen Son destroy high defensive lines so often, and Kane playing a false 9 to setup Son and soon Bale will be a devastating combination going forward... but how they play against the far more common deep defenses remain concerning. The cancellation is fortunate for Tottenham to reduce the fixture strain. UPDATE: I expect Son to go strong... Jose went low risk last week (and barely made it) so I imagine they'll continue to do so until they qualify for group sages.
Recap
Paik Seung Ho -- Came on a sub with ten minutes to go which reflects some of my concerns going in: Paik's abilities may be great but finding a specific role is difficult with the manager not trusting him defensively in positions he's more comfortable in. The season is long so as they find some system, will look for more contributions from Paik as they let in three goals without him anyway.
Choi Kyoung Rok -- Out injured.
Jeong Woo Yeong -- A start for Jeong and it was hard to tell exactly where Jeong was playing as he was everywhere, even though he was nominally at the top of a midfield diamond, with critical tackles on defense and creating danger in attack. While he wasn't involved in Freiburg's offensive barrage, it was a very strong showing in a new role. Still has some maturing to do on decision making and more economical use of his energy as there's nobody who can play like that all season but Streich appears to be gaining trust in Jeong as he stayed on until the final minutes.
Kwon Chang Hoon -- A bit tougher for Kwon as his sub scored and setup another goal so competition for spots is very high. When he did come on with 13' to go, Freiburg's defense was in the process of imploding so Kwon didn't get to do much besides play defense from the right wing position. Will have to wait for a better opportunity.
Hwang Ui Jo -- Did not watch this match but reviews were not good as offense remains non-functional and Bordeaux also dealing with a red card to boot.
Lee Kang In -- Lee Kang In chose a bad moment to try to assert himself in the squad, arguing over who should take the free kick. He was in the right but making a big deal out of it was not a great decision and then made things worse hiding the ball behind his back. The manager took a bad situation and added more fodder to the tabloid flames by subbing him off at halftime when a stern talking to may have been a better choice (not to mention not having a free kick taking hierarchy). Lee Kang In was doing fine until then given normal Valencia problems defending. A growing opportunity but one that is a bit too public given the intense scrutiny and negative atmosphere around the club.
Lee Jae Sung -- Did not watch but got strong reviews for his playmaking and helped in the setup for the goal that they did score. It seems I'm not the only one confused how he's still in BL2 from what I've read as well.
Yun Il Lok -- An unused sub still so seems a long way to go.
Hwang Hee Chan -- A bit of a surprise to see HHC (and Henrichs) on the bench but I assume part of building out the team. When HHC did come on, he was quite strong with some good dribbles and a couple outstanding moments when he just ran right through tackles and broke away at full speed. Only major negative was a poor backpass that gave Mainz a chance, but he also had a couple misplaced passes. But you can see the promise, and there was some tinkering with his positioning throughout his sub role as they prepare for the arrival of a CF. I expect a lot of tinkering with the lineups as Nagelsmann certainly isn't afraid to change week to week.
Ji Dong Won -- Still out injured.
Paik Seung Ho -- Came on a sub with ten minutes to go which reflects some of my concerns going in: Paik's abilities may be great but finding a specific role is difficult with the manager not trusting him defensively in positions he's more comfortable in. The season is long so as they find some system, will look for more contributions from Paik as they let in three goals without him anyway.
Choi Kyoung Rok -- Out injured.
Jeong Woo Yeong -- A start for Jeong and it was hard to tell exactly where Jeong was playing as he was everywhere, even though he was nominally at the top of a midfield diamond, with critical tackles on defense and creating danger in attack. While he wasn't involved in Freiburg's offensive barrage, it was a very strong showing in a new role. Still has some maturing to do on decision making and more economical use of his energy as there's nobody who can play like that all season but Streich appears to be gaining trust in Jeong as he stayed on until the final minutes.
Kwon Chang Hoon -- A bit tougher for Kwon as his sub scored and setup another goal so competition for spots is very high. When he did come on with 13' to go, Freiburg's defense was in the process of imploding so Kwon didn't get to do much besides play defense from the right wing position. Will have to wait for a better opportunity.
Hwang Ui Jo -- Did not watch this match but reviews were not good as offense remains non-functional and Bordeaux also dealing with a red card to boot.
Lee Kang In -- Lee Kang In chose a bad moment to try to assert himself in the squad, arguing over who should take the free kick. He was in the right but making a big deal out of it was not a great decision and then made things worse hiding the ball behind his back. The manager took a bad situation and added more fodder to the tabloid flames by subbing him off at halftime when a stern talking to may have been a better choice (not to mention not having a free kick taking hierarchy). Lee Kang In was doing fine until then given normal Valencia problems defending. A growing opportunity but one that is a bit too public given the intense scrutiny and negative atmosphere around the club.
Lee Jae Sung -- Did not watch but got strong reviews for his playmaking and helped in the setup for the goal that they did score. It seems I'm not the only one confused how he's still in BL2 from what I've read as well.
Yun Il Lok -- An unused sub still so seems a long way to go.
Hwang Hee Chan -- A bit of a surprise to see HHC (and Henrichs) on the bench but I assume part of building out the team. When HHC did come on, he was quite strong with some good dribbles and a couple outstanding moments when he just ran right through tackles and broke away at full speed. Only major negative was a poor backpass that gave Mainz a chance, but he also had a couple misplaced passes. But you can see the promise, and there was some tinkering with his positioning throughout his sub role as they prepare for the arrival of a CF. I expect a lot of tinkering with the lineups as Nagelsmann certainly isn't afraid to change week to week.
Ji Dong Won -- Still out injured.
