"Where should Lee Kang-in be deployed?" Simeone shares Moreno's dilemma... Spanish media: "Threatening when he has the ball, searching for his optimal position"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

What is the optimal position for Lee Kang-in (25, Atletico Madrid), the 'ace' of the South Korean national football team? It appears that Diego Simeone, the manager of his club Atletico, shares the same dilemma as Roberto Moreno, the head coach of the South Korean national team.

Atletico, managed by Simeone, secured a 2-0 away victory against Levante in their Round 11 match of the 2026-2027 Spanish La Liga season on the 31st at 10:00 p.m. (KST) at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia in Valencia, Spain.

With this win, Atletico improved to a record of nine wins, one draw, and one loss (28 points), overtaking Barcelona (27 points) to climb to the top of the league standings. However, Barcelona has played one fewer match.

Lee Kang-in started the match and played for 67 minutes until the 22nd minute of the second half. In Atletico's 4-4-2 formation, he was positioned at the forefront, coordinating his attacking play with Julian Alvarez.

Lee Kang-in recorded a pass completion rate of 91% (31 out of 34 attempts). He made 50 ball touches and completed one dribble. He attempted three long passes, all of which were successful, and won the ball back four times. Although he did not record an attacking point, he struck the crossbar with a powerful left-footed shot in the 10th minute of the second half.

However, local Spanish evaluations were somewhat harsh. The Spanish outlet El Desmarque awarded Lee Kang-in a rating of 4.5 points. This was a low score compared to Atletico midfielder Alex Baena, who received the highest team rating of 9 points.

The rating from European football statistics media FootMob also stood at 6.4 points. Sofascore's rating was identical at 6.4.

Another Spanish outlet, As, focused on Lee Kang-in's position. The media reported, "Manager Simeone is striving to find a position where Lee Kang-in can be more involved in the match."

It further pointed out, "The right flank is occupied by Giuliano Simeone. In the second striker role assigned to Lee Kang-in, there are still times when he fails to make his presence felt for long periods during the game."

Nevertheless, they evaluated Lee Kang-in's attacking ability positively. As praised him, saying, "However, whenever Lee Kang-in is involved in the match, he always displays sharpness," adding that he "actively targets the goal, moves vigorously, and strives to create scoring opportunities for his teammates."

The outlet also mentioned bad luck with the goal frame, noting, "He was denied a goal by hitting the crossbar."

Coincidentally, this aligns with the dilemma faced by the South Korean national football team. Previously, Manager Moreno had also emphasized that finding Lee Kang-in's optimal position is crucial.

Manager Moreno stated at the press conference announcing the November A-match roster on October 29 at Cheonan Korea Football Park in Chungnam Province, "I hope he shows his best form when he comes to the national team," regarding Lee Kang-in.

He continued, "At his club, he has played two positions. He has featured as both a winger and a midfielder," explaining that they need to find out where and in what role he can deliver his best performance.

In fact, Lee Kang-in has taken on various roles with the national team as well. While moving between the flanks and the center to develop attacks, there were also assessments that his creative attacking ability was not fully utilized during the September-October A-matches.

Both his club and the national team acknowledge Lee Kang-in's outstanding abilities, but finding a position that maximizes them has emerged as a task for both sides.

In this context, Manager Moreno is scheduled to watch one of Lee Kang-in's club matches in person soon. Atletico will face Bayern Munich (Germany) in a UEFA Champions League (UCL) match at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, at 5:00 a.m. on the 4th.

In addition to Lee Kang-in, key national team defender Kim Min-jae also plays for Munich. For Manager Moreno, this presents an opportunity to assess the performance of both players simultaneously.

In particular, the national team has recently experienced a tense atmosphere due to various rumors surrounding its players. Since Manager Moreno has emphasized his intention to communicate directly with the players, he is expected to have several conversations during this visit. How to utilize Lee Kang-in is also one of the main points of interest.

The South Korean national team will play two away friendly matches against Saudi Arabia on November 13 and Qatar on the 17th. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia in January next year. Manager Moreno must find an answer to his positional dilemma regarding Lee Kang-in during these friendlies.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original