Jeong Woo – yeong – Freiburg’s multi-faceted attacking prodigy
Jeong Woo – yeong had no professional experience when Bayern Munich signed him in 2018 as he had mainly played at South Korean high-school level as his side was a component of Incheon United’s academy system. He moved to a new continent to learn a new language, gaining playing experience with FC Bayern II before debuting with the first-team in the UEFA Champions League. He would then join Freiburg before returning to Bayern II this year as he has since grown into a more than just an exciting winger. He has played in a variety of roles and positions, receiving possession in different areas of the pitch to develop a well-rounded skillset.
He has also been one of the stars of South Korea’s U23 side who will compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo next year but his progress in the 3rd Division of German football has been interesting to watch. With Bayern II playing in a diamond formation under Sebastian Hoeness without wingers, Jeong has played as a second-striker, central attacking midfielder while also playing in one of the wide midfielder positions as his game has become more well-rounded in a matter of months. His pace was one of his strongest attributes but against deeper defensive blocks, his first-touch, dribbling and passing in tight spaces as well as his intelligence has come to the fore.
At Freiburg, it was believed that his lack of physical development was preventing the side from trusting him in the Bundesliga but that belies his ability to set himself up with his first touch. He was positioned as a second striker because, he could nonchalantly control lobbed passes with his first touch while holding off defenders to lay passes off for teammates to instigate attacks. His ability to control balls with his back to goal was a major facet of Bayern II’s attacking play while he could take balls in his stride with the outside of his boot to thread the ball to teammates and make runs to receive possession and create opportunities. The 20-year-old had the grace to receive the ball in congested areas and work combinations to create spaces and openings for teammates as his initiative and speed in central midfield allowed Hoeness’ side to work the ball out of pressure situations.
“Jeong still has physical deficits. The youngster must improve his physique and robustness, especially required when he’s on the ball. He must try to work on his physicality. With the hype in the home [in Korea], it’s not easy for Woo-Yeong to keep his patience,” said Freiburg Sporting Director, Klemens Hartenbach to Kicker in October last year.
His first touch not only allows him to hold play up but also allows him to create opportunites for himself inside the box. Against MSV Duisberg, Bayern II played a ball to Nicolas Kuhn in the channels for the young German attacker to control the ball, cut back to his left foot to cross for Jeong who was the lone striker in the box with two defenders. The 20-year-old cleverly took a few steps behind his marker who was preparing for an aerial duel as the South Korean cleverly deduced that his marker would miss the ball as he had jumped too early. The ball sailed over the head of the centre-back and landed perfectly on Jeong’s right foot for the South Korean to have a strike tipped onto the crossbar with his left foot. Jeong is always making sure that he is in the perfect position to adjust his body and receive an aerial ball, so he can take it into his stride rather than rashly jumping into aerial duels.
As a wide midfielder, he had the ability to drop into the six-space and receive possession, turning and working a pass into the opposition half but Hoeness positioned him on the left flank so he could receive possession, turn onto his right foot and play passes to teammates in the central pockets. On counter-attacks, he would not drive straight to the by-line but instead look to turn play passes into the centre. At home to SV Meppen, he received possession on the left flank to drive into the opposition half, turn and thread a pass to a teammate in the centre who worked a ball in behind for Kuhn to cut past a sliding defender and finish. Playing on the flank of his weaker foot allows him to cut inside and weave past defenders to slide passes into runners.
Once he cuts onto his favoured right foot, his body will be positioned between the defenders and the ball as he drives inside which allows him to simultaneously shield possession and have a better view of the pitch as he drives into the centre. His rapid change of direction when being hemmed into tight spaces allows him to beat his direct marker or even dribble out of an area past two or three players as against Chemnitzer, he received the ball on the break to cut past two defenders and lay a pass into a teammate on the edge of the box who was fouled before he had the opportunity to shoot. When Bayern II are in positional play sequences, Jeong’s fullback will overlap as the South Korean will move into space in the central areas of the pitch to receive possession and work connections in the final third.
Jeong has also retained his ability to drive a fullback to the by-line then manoeuvre past them in tight quarters to work cut-back opportunities for teammates. The 20-year-old can play the pass before the assist as well as getting into positions where he can assist teammates. He thrives at receiving the ball in tight areas as the positioning of his teammates allows him to work one-touch passes with the outside of his boot or draw markers into his area before releasing the ball. He can assist teammates in a variety of ways, by cutting inside and working slide-rule passes as well as his favoured cut-back low crosses while he can also lob accurate crosses to the back-post for teammates to have aerial opportunities. He managed 1 goal and 6 assists this season as he proved to be dangerous in cut-back situations.
With, Jeong being such a multi-faceted talent, there will be a dilemma and deliberation to discover his best position at Bundesliga level as it would be a doubt that a team would use him as a second-striker. He has the ability to play as a winger in a 4-4-2 with playmaking responsibilities in the centre in the system that Freiburg play or he could also be utilized in a central attacking midfielder in a counter-attacking side. In the future, he could be used as a free 8 in a 4-3-3 formation as his well-rounded set of skills allow him to receive the ball in tight spaces and influence the game in a variety of areas with his dribbling, combination play and initiative.
Jeong also has the will and ability to participate in the defensive side of the game as he makes tigerish and timely movements to press his fullback in the wide areas. He looks to steal possession from the feet of his opponent then using his body to shield the ball before working a pass to a teammate. Even in the counter-pressing phase, he will chase back in an effort to regain possession as he has played in positions in Hoeness’ system where he has unique pressing responsibilities. He needed to recognise pressing triggers and lead the pressing phase as a striker while pushing up to engage the opposition fullback when he receives possession if he was deployed as a wide-midfielder.
At only 20-years-old, Jeong has turned a corner in his last few months at Bayern II as Freiburg will need to use pre-season to define his role with the club. He could be a cost-effective option on the market with his exploits at International level preparing him to take a starring role at the Olympics in Tokyo next summer. He was highly touted as a wunderkind but has gained the experience and development in his game to back up that moniker. The South Korean can be a player who is influential in different areas of the pitch, adding press resistance, creativity and graft as there have been games in the last six months where he has collapsed at the final whistle after giving so much of himself. He is a player that certainly has the skillset to thrive in European football.
