Coach Simeone, Lee Kang-in wrote this... 'Second striker' who drops into midfield to initiate attacks

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Kang-in, the "ace" of the South Korean national football team, made his Atletico Madrid debut. Both his performance and the position and role he was assigned drew attention from local Spanish media.

Spanish outlet 'As' reported on the 10th (Korean time): "Lee Kang-in made his first appearance as an Atletico player in front of Korean fans. Although the defeat was disappointing, he finished the match with a good sense of form."

On the 9th, Atletico played a friendly match against Manchester City (England) at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the 2026 Coupang Play Series and lost 1-3. They took an early lead through Jorge Dominguez's goal but conceded consecutive goals from Omar Marmoush to fall behind. In the late second half, they also conceded a decisive goal from Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Today's match was Lee Kang-in's debut for Atletico. Having played for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG·France) until last season, Lee Kang-in announced his fresh start by donning the Atletico jersey this summer.

Starting on the bench, Lee Kang-in was substituted in during the 19th minute of the second half and spent about 25 minutes on the pitch. His position was second striker.

One of Lee Kang-in's greatest strengths is his ability to play in various positions. In addition to playing as a second striker against Manchester City, he can be deployed on either flank, drop into midfield to distribute the ball, or help control the flow of the game.

Earlier, Diego Simeone, Atletico's coach, also stated at a press conference that no specific position had been predetermined for Lee Kang-in.

Coach Simeone said, "I have watched Lee Kang-in through videos, but playing directly with him on the same team is another matter altogether. We need to see how efficiently he can showcase his strengths and advantages."

He added, "Rather than tying him down to a specific position, we will focus on finding ways to maximize Lee Kang-in's strengths."

In this context, Coach Simeone assigned Lee Kang-in the role of second striker in his debut match, offering hints about how he might be utilized in the future.

However, Lee Kang-in did not stay solely at the front line looking for goals. As described by 'As', "Lee Kang-in was granted considerable freedom of movement. He moved toward his preferred right flank and attempted to link up with Pablo Barrios."

The outlet further added positively, "Barrios has the potential to become an excellent partner who can better leverage Lee Kang-in's strengths in the future."

Notably, the media focused on Lee Kang-in's actual movements. 'As' explained: "Although Lee Kang-in was nominally positioned as a second striker alongside Arnau Ortiz, he actually dropped into midfield to receive the ball. He actively moved to find the ball, connected passes, and sought to initiate attacks."

Despite being classified as an attacker, he did not remain fixed at the front line but frequently moved between the right flank and midfield, participating in attacking plays. This suggests that Coach Simeone granted Lee Kang-in considerable freedom.

In today's match, Lee Kang-in recorded two shots, a 91% pass completion rate, one successful dribble breakthrough, and completed both of his long-pass attempts accurately. He also contributed defensively with two tackles.

However, since the team lost, it was not a perfect debut. 'As' noted: "Lee Kang-in now needs to return to Madrid and fully adapt to Atletico. He must learn how to move within Coach Simeone's game system. It is necessary to internalize not only his attacking movements but also his defensive actions of dropping back to fill spaces."

Earlier, Atletico officially announced the signing of Lee Kang-in on the 25th of last month. The contract runs until June 2031. Lee Kang-in was also assigned the number 7 jersey, which symbolizes the team's ace.

According to local reports, the transfer fee is a base 35 million euros (approximately 58 billion won) with additional options attached. The number 7 jersey was previously worn by 'Atletico Legend' Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City) until last season.

As stated: "It is a number carrying significant meaning and weight in Atletico's history." They added, "Of course, we will not expect Lee Kang-in to match the goal-scoring record of Griezmann, who remains the club's all-time top scorer. The level Griezmann demonstrated is an achievement that no player can easily follow."

Nevertheless, the media highlighted commonalities between Lee Kang-in and Griezmann. They explained: "Lee Kang-in and Griezmann share several similarities, particularly their positions and exceptional left-footed talent. Lee Kang-in aimed to show good form for fans and bring them joy. He also displayed excellent technical moments, including precise directional passes, back-heel moves, and attempts to extract the ball between opponents' legs."

They further predicted: "Coach Simeone will refine these skills in the future so they become not just individual tricks but weapons that provide tangible benefits to the team."

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*This content was translated by AI.