Lee Dong-jun return
Can he return to his K League Best?
I wrote this piece in 2020 on Kleague rising star Lee Dong-jun and now with a bit of luck the opportunity to ply his trade in the Bundesliga with one of the capital clubs closing in on his signature. A lot of the information still rings true and is an exciting prospect for all that have followed his journey from Busan Youth to the fringes of the National team via a successful 2021 where he was nominated for League MVP; in a season where he scored 11 goals from 9.45 xg alongside 4 assists and from a tactical perspective being quite crucial in how the team played, threatening in behind and also using his excellent leap to help switch the play. This article focuses mainly on his 2019 and 2020 seasons with Busan and his return to the K League after a disappointing injury-hit period at Hertha Berlin
Playing Style
His durability, direct dribbling and speed makes the right-sided winger a constant threat to opposing full backs. He is consistently able to get past opposing players using his speed and deliver balls from the by-line into dangerous areas. The vast majority of his 7 assists in the 2019 season came from cutbacks from the goal line and this season he averages 0.64 crosses to the six-yard box per game, 4th highest in the league.
He has shown some versatility in his positioning, while predominantly starting on the right of a front 3 in a 4-3-3, he has also started as a second striker in a 3-5-2. His 3 goals in 2019 have all come from positions you would expect a striker to be in and all well-taken first-time finishes on the run. The right footer has shown the capability to score with both feet in his 4 years as professional and, despite his somewhat diminutive 173cm and slight frame, scored 3 headers in his 13 goal return in 2019.
His work ethic and durability is beyond question with the 3rd most defensive duels in the league at 137 and the fact that he hasn’t missed a game with injury in two seasons (2019-2020).
LEE DONG-JUN WAS THE MOST FOULED PLAYER IN THE 2nd TIER IN 2019 AND IS CURRENTLY THE 2ND MOST FOULED PLAYER IN THE TOP DIVISION IN 2020
Despite this he remains fit and raring to take on opponents; averaging 4.06 dribbles a game with 55.26% successful, 10th highest in the league. His agility and swiftness in acceleration are two traits that result in high-risk high-reward during attacks and is certainly an area of his game that continues to develop.
An area to work on would be his efficiency in the final third; Lee has put in the 6th most crosses in the league averaging 2.78 per game, but only has a success rate of 23.08; the league leader in this area has an average of 4.72 with 38.18% successful. 2020 has certainly been a year of learning for Lee and he is still without doubt improving his game with regards to this and the timing of his runs. However, his position in an at times struggling team (Busan) has never come under threat because he is the one player who can really change a game and would undoubtedly produce more in a better team.
Breakout season in Kleague 1 2020
2020 has not been without its challenges for Lee; the 2-month delay to the league and playing in a defensive side, whose main aim is to avoid relegation, doesn’t necessarily play to his strengths. Nevertheless, the 23-year-old winger has had some standout individual performances and has bagged 3 goals and 3 assists up to round 18. Two each in both these categories in undoubtedly his best performance this season in July away to Gangwon FC, who are a side similarly positioned in the table to Busan. SofaScore gave him a perfect 10/10. (
All under the watching eye of current South Korean head coach Paulo Bento. He followed up this performance with another goal and assist in his next game, which had marked similarities to the previous week’s; an accurate cross from the right side for the assist and darting in from his flank to meet a ball from the opposing side for a first-time finish.
Some of the most interesting player-on-player duels have been Lee Dong-jun against the two national team left backs, and best in the league, Kim Jin-su of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Hong Chul of at the time current league leaders Ulsan Hyundai. In the first of the two he won a penalty and the second was denied one by a VAR intervention that deemed the foul just outside the box. His pace frightens defenders and is the reason why he is the 2nd most fouled player in the league.
Fast forward to 2022 and Lee Dong-jun is returning to the K League after managing just four appearances for Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga. Almost entirely down to the inability to get fit, which ultimately cost him a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Had he been fit there is little doubt he would’ve been the starter on the right wing with Hwang Hee-chan unavailable to start in the group stage. The ‘whatcould’vebeen’ now behind him the winter move back to K League is a new chance to show what he can do, not only to himself and the league, but also to an incoming Korean national team coach.
This time round he has signed for the rivals to Ulsan and joins former Ulsan players Kim Bo-kyung and Jun Amano as well. His new club Jeonbuk look to wrestle back their K League crown next season and have acquired a game changer in Lee. If he can prove his fitness in the off-season he will be the likely starter on the right wing and will once more link up with KNT right back and fellow Busan I’Park alumni Kim Moon-hwan. The two played together from 2017-2020 for Busan and helped the team earn promotion before going seperate ways; the two will produce the quickest right side in the K League. Jeonbuk have certainly upgraded this position with the RW being held for a long time by the club legend Han Kyo-won, who has helped them win 7 league titles, 2 FA Cups, and their last coveted Asian Champions League. However, once again similarly with Kim Moon-hwan’s arrival signalling the end to Lee Yong’s legendary Jeonbuk career, the club have opted for a younger pacier version. A frightful proposition now awaits the rest of the league with Jeonbuk capable of fielding a front three of Song Min-kyu, Cho Gue-sung and Lee Dong-jun if all are fit and crucially stay with Cho being courted by European clubs.
This is Frank Wong from Hong Kong, we are looking for a writer for K-league, and read information from the internet, you have been covering K-league, so would like to see if you are interested in the project. Hope that we have a chance to work together, and please let me know if you need any further information. My email: wfwong@e-sky.com.hk