| Coach Paulo Bento and Lee Kang-in of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Korea national football team smile brightly during their first local training session at the Al Egla Training Center in Doha, Qatar on 14 (now local). [연합] |
[헤럴드경제=민성기 기자] MBC football commentator Ahn Jung-hwan predicted that Lee Kang-in (21, Mallorca) is unlikely to participate in the World Cup.
On the 15th, Commissioner Ahn said on his YouTube channel ‘Ahn Jung-hwan 19’: “I don’t know what the Bento coach thinks of Lee Kang-in, but in my personal opinion, I can think that Lee Kang-in do not fit the color of the Bento team.” he expressed his thoughts.
At the same time, “I think Lee Kang-in is absolutely necessary. After that, there is the next competition and even the youngest players have to prepare themselves for the future competitions. (Lee Kang-in) has improved his skills and form a lot about him, and I think he is doing well, but I don’t think Bento will nominate him.
Commissioner Ahn said: “When Lee Kang-in was brought in, it is a situation where we have to change the color of Bentoho’s football, which we have done so far. It’s a “hot potato”. No matter how good a player is, the team tactics Bentoho prepared for four years cannot be changed because of that player. The reason is because he is a midfielder. It doesn’t matter if you are an attacker. If you’re a striker, you can change tactics if you’re one or two, but Lee Kang-in is a midfielder, so it won’t be easy to change tactics.”
He continued: “If the match goes badly during the World Cup finals, the media will say why we don’t use Lee Kang-in. As a manager, he’s going to be very tiring. This is because Bento has his color and is stubborn. Now that I’ve been selected, I think it’s time to support me rather than argue about this or that.”
Furthermore, Commissioner Ahn said, “When Son Heung-min is missing from offensive resources, it seems that offensive tactics change. The building tactic appears to be the same. I think Lee Jae-seong will take it as it is.
Lee Kang-in was surprisingly selected as one of the 26 finalists for the 2022 Qatar World Cup announced by coach Paulo Bento on 12. Lee Kang-in, called up to the national team after a year and a half at the time of the A match last September, he returned to Mallorca without being able to show the fans his performance because he was unable to play a single match. However, he was the first to head to Qatar after being picked by Bento.
Lee Kang-in, who plays as an attacking midfielder, scored 2 goals and 3 assists in 14 La Liga appearances in the 2022/23 season. Furthermore, he is showcasing his top-flight skills to the point of climbing to the La Liga Best 11 twice.
Director Bento also said in a press conference when the list was announced, “Lee Kang-in’s skills are his greatest strength. He has made a lot of progress this season. That’s why he was included in the list.”
