Isn't it really at the level of not using it anymore?

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won 1-0 against Arsenal in the first leg of the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League semifinals held at Emirates Stadium in London, England, on the 30th (Korean time), gaining an advantageous position to reach the final.

On this day, PSG deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, and Désiré Doue led the attack. The midfield consisted of Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, and João Neves. The defense featured Nuno Mendes, William Pacho, Marquinhos, and Achraf Hakimi, while Gianluigi Donnarumma guarded the goal. Lee Kang-in, who was named on the substitute list, ultimately did not step onto the field.

PSG took the lead just 4 minutes into the match. Dembélé finished off a cutback pass from Kvaratskhelia, who broke through on the left side, with a left-footed shot that stirred the net. The ball, which bounced between defenders, hit the post and was sucked into the net.

Arsenal, having conceded a goal early at home, moved quickly. They continued their attack on the right side, centered around Saka. However, their efforts were consistently blocked by the PSG defense. PSG sought an additional goal. In the 30th minute of the first half, Dembélé delivered a pass from the right that was received by Warren Zaïre-Emery, who burst into the center and attempted a right-footed shot. The powerful shot aimed at the corner of the goal couldn't get past goalkeeper David Raya.

PSG finished the first half leading 1-0, maintaining Dembélé's opening goal. Arsenal missed a crucial chance. Two minutes into the second half, Merino headed in a free kick from Rice, seemingly leveling the score. However, an offside was called, and it was not recognized as a goal. In the 10th minute of the second half, Trossard, who received a fantastic through pass from behind, struck a low and fast shot from the left side aiming for the opposite goal. The ball narrowly missed the goal, just brushing the fingertips of the goalkeeper.

PSG made a substitution, bringing on Bradley Barcola for Dembélé. In the 29th minute of the second half, PSG sent a chill through Arsenal. Kvaratskhelia launched a right-footed shot from distance after a quick counterattack. However, the ball sliced through the air. In the 31st minute of the second half, PSG replaced Doue with Gonçalo Ramos.

PSG continued to attack, taking advantage of Arsenal's passing errors. In the 32nd minute of the second half, Neves connected a bullet shot from the front of the arc with a short pass coming in from the right. It just cleared the crossbar by a hand's breadth. Arsenal substituted Jurrien Timber for Ben White in the 38th minute of the second half.

In the 39th minute of the second half, PSG struck the ground. Barcola, who had not scored in the last 10 games, broke through the Arsenal center-back and found himself in a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper. He deceived the goalkeeper and attempted a quick shot towards the left goal, but the ball narrowly went past the post.

In the 41st minute of the second half, Arsenal earned a free kick in PSG's defensive area. Rice took the kick and attempted a shot from a tough angle deep in the left side, but it was blocked by the defensive wall. PSG sent off Neves for Warren Zaïre-Emery in the 44th minute. PSG, holding on through 5 minutes of added time, secured a valuable away victory.

The fact that Lee Kang-in didn't even get to play this day is seen as an indication of his lack of role in the team. Fundamentally, he was competing for the right-sided forward position along with Barcola at the beginning of the season, but he fell behind in the competition. Additionally, Doue's rapid development mid-season pushed both Barcola and Lee Kang-in down the pecking order.

In fact, under Manager Enrique's rotation policy, Barcola has become the first substitution option after Doue, while Emery is in the second option. Lee Kang-in has become the third option for substitutions, making it relatively difficult for him to get playing time. Ultimately, with no opportunity to play, rumors of Lee Kang-in's transfer are likely to intensify.

If we closely examine Lee Kang-in's playing time, we can identify the most important factor regarding his position within the team: his playing time in the UEFA Champions League. There is a marked difference around 2024 and 2025. In fact, during the match against Arsenal on Oct. 1, 2024, and the match against Salzburg on Dec. 10, 2024, he started and played the full 90 minutes.

However, in the tournament stage, he did not appear in the first leg against Liverpool at home (0-1 loss) and managed just 19 minutes in the away match (5-1 win). In the quarterfinals against Aston Villa, he also did not play at all in both the home (3-1 win) and away (2-3 loss) matches. He has not stepped on the field even for a minute in the first leg of the semifinals against Arsenal.

Ultimately, this background has led to the evaluation that Lee Kang-in is outside of PSG’s core strategy. No matter how well the manager speaks, the situation of not being able to play in important matches is not ideal. Ultimately, the re-signing seems to be a choice made to maintain Lee Kang-in's market value for a potential sale.

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