| Day | Time | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 1:30 PM | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | @Pacos de Ferreira | Paramount+ ? |
| Friday | 2:30 PM | Hwang Hee Chan | Leipzig | Stuttgart | ESPN+ |
| Saturday | 7:30 AM | Choi Kyoung Rok | Karlsruher | Werder Bremen | None |
| Saturday | 7:30 AM | Park Kyu Hyun | Werder Bremen | @Karlsruher | None |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Jeong Woo Yeong | Freiburg | Dortmund | ESPN+ |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Lee Jae Sung | Mainz | @Bochum | ESPN+ |
| Saturday | 1:30 PM | Lee Kang In | Valencia | @Granada | ESPN+ |
| Sunday | 9:00 AM | Hwang Ui Jo | Bordeaux | Angers | BeIN Xtra |
| Sunday | 9:00 AM | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | @Wolverhampton | NBCSN |
| Sunday | 9:00 AM | Suk Hyun Jun | Troyes | @Strasbourg | None |
Son Heung Min-- Another big match, another heroic moment for Son who didn't have his best game but came through when needed with a goal that starts off the Nuno era to a blazing start. Tactically Son was up top and the major variation from Mourinho era appeared to be a greater use of wide forwards in the buildup, often on the dribble, rather than purely as defenders or receivers for long balls. Son did ok up top when he was asked to be a target / outlet but really struggled with his decision making in the final third when Tottenham did go on the attack. I wonder if part of that was related to instructions to try to retain possession given difficulties one has vs. Man City as Son often erred on the safe side. When Son did shoot he looked far more effective culminating in his goal: a low curler from outside the box just inside the post. In addition, Son's set pieces were superb and was unfortunate for no assists that way. Not really familiar with how Nuno rotates, Son may get rested for the first leg of the playoff but I expect him to come on and certainly should start on the weekend.
Hwang Hee Chan-- Came on as a sub as Leipzig unexpectedly struggled but didn't get to do much as the ball wasn't finding him very often. Likely to continue off the bench for now.
Choi Kyoung Rok-- Played 84' in a scoreless draw.
Park Kyu Hyun-- Maybe for the best that Park KH was out of the squad as Werder Bremen imploded defensively, maybe related to the loss of their CB and captain Toprak. I had assumed that Park's lack of use was reflective of getting him used to jump up in play and the fact that his prior season was cut short. If he doesn't get a larger role soon despite all the multitude of LB options used so far, it is not a good sign.
Jeong Woo Yeong-- Continued to start but in the part that I saw, was more negative than prior week with a number of errant passes. Jeong does provide something different than most Freiburg attackers and his high energy covers up for some of his flaws but he needs to find that polish to be a more consistent member of the starting XI. Given opposition, I suspect he will go to the bench but could start.
Lee Jae Sung-- I’m not very familiar with Svensson’s Mainz, so for now I’ll assume that LJS’ playing a false nine role as he often did in Kiel was born out of necessity given all the players missing due to possible COVID exposure. But a good enough day from LJS was enough to help Mainz overcome the odds to earn a big first win. Particularly in the first half, LJS was able to be a good enough target man to provide an outlet up top and helped in the buildup with his passing even if his contributions in final third was more limited, outside a real nice header off the post. He started to tire in the second half but a decent start to the season and I expect him to start this weekend though less certain of his position.
Lee Kang In-- Returned to training this week but looks in a stalemate that might keep him off the pitch while a possible transfer is sorted.
Hwang Ui Jo-- A great comeback from a Bordeaux side that looked completely doomed for the season at one point but Hwang himself was more of a frustration as everything was slightly off on his return to the starting XI. Hwang made a variety of poor decisions, often going for the heroic unnecessarily, and his teammates also had poor passes to Hwang that could have broken things open. The good news for Hwang is that Bordeaux do not have any alternatives and have more pressing needs for transfers so he should start again.