Short, initial thoughts on Nam Tae-Hee

I haven’t watched Nam Tae-Hee much lately. I really haven’t seen him since the Olympics. But last night, I had the chance to watch part of Lekhwiya’s AFC Champions League match against Uzbek side Pakhtakor. I do wish to emphasize the part aspect, as I really mean that, I just saw most of the first half before match watching was forced to be abandoned due to a crying baby. But, I thought I would just share what I saw from Nam Tae-Hee ssi.

First off, Lekhwiya and Pakhtakor ended up drawing the match 2-2. Lekhwiya maintained their poll position in the group with Pakhtakor just behind them. Highlights are available somewhere. I’ll try and update the post with them later.

Otherwise, let’s talk Nam Tae-Hee. Nam is generally known as a wide forward who possesses decent dribbling skills and speed, but tends to be a bit frustrating at times as he often attempts to go it alone or not see passing options. Which results in loss of possession or missed opportunities.

From this match, that was generally true as well. He had some good moments, but was dispossessed quite easily a few times. Nam also took some set piece deliveries and the results were a bit mixed. Corners were ‘meh’ in my opinion. Nam is still young, so I don’t think he could be considered a bust yet, but he still has a bit of work to do in order to be considered a regular at the senior international level. I would put him fifth in the depth chart of wide midfielders/forwards for the senior squad.

Honestly, I think the one thing that will keep Nam Tae-Hee out of the starting XI for Korea in the future, is one Son Heung-Min. It strikes me that the two are very similar players, and it won’t be realistic to think that there is a place for both in the XI. As long as Son Heung-Min continues his ascent and progress, I think that Nam will be assigned the role of super-sub.

I know this post wasn’t much, and hopefully I’ll be able to watch Nam Tae-Hee more and I can provide a more comprehensive look at him. Until then.