Hwang Hee-Chan

DOB: 26/1/1996 (24)

Nationality: South Korea

Position: Striker

Club: RB Salzburg

Tactical:

Salzburg under Jesse Marsch this season have normally played with a 4-4-2 or 4-2-2-2 formation, partnering Hwang up top with either Erling Haaland in the beginning of the season, and then Patson Daka after Haaland was sold to Dortmund in January. Under Marsch, Hwang is deployed as a second striker, which gives him the opportunity to play to his strength, his pace. When Salzburg are defending, Hwang will stay furthest forwards, because in the case of a counter attack, he can use his blistering pace to be able to make line splitting runs in behind the opponents back line. Salzburg are a team that usually like to move the ball quickly off a counter, and Hwang is the perfect weapon for them. When attacking, Hwang usually stays central, but will occasionally move to the left or right if it puts him in a better position to receive the ball and then turn and move into the space. Another thing that Hwang excels at is his pressing ability and work rate. Being the most advanced striker means that Hwang has to put in a shift as well when the defenders have the ball. Hwang is a great presser of the ball, and has the ability to force opposition defenders into many mistakes. He also has a tremendous work rate that I will discuss more later.

As mentioned earlier, when Salzburg are defending, their formation looks almost like a 4-4-1-1, with either Haaland, or now Daka, dropping into a more attacking midfield role, while Hwang stays furthest advanced to try and catch the opponents back line off guard. In regards to set piece situations, Hwang will usually stay away from the wall when Salzburg are defending a set piece, so he can be able to break quickly off a counter. The same applies to him as well when Salzburg have a set piece, with him usually drifting out wide. For corners, Hwang usually positions himself inside the 6 yard box, which puts him in a position to either attack the ball at the near post, or to try and put the goalkeeper off in certain situations.

Technical:

Technically, two things jump off the page for me when it comes to Hwang, his positioning and his dribbling. Firstly, Hwang’s positioning is very good. I always notice him paying attention to his surroundings and where the defenders are positioned in order for him to try and find the space in behind. When he is off the ball, Hwang usually will slowly start to drift either inside or out wide, and then burst into the box when he sees the space open up. In crossing situations, he also seems to find his way in front of his man to get an attempt on goal. Hwang’s ability to play physically and use his eyes often to find the space is a wonderful combination of abilities to have.

Hwang also excels at dribbling. He loves to play with the ball at his feet, and uses his ability to quickly change directions and keep the ball to his advantage. He also likes to take on the opposition, and he does not shy away from running at defenders with the ball at his feet. He does sometimes try to overdo it with his dribbling, and will sometimes do too much and lose possession when he could have had an easy pass not too long before. With that being said though Hwang is the type of player who enjoys running at defenders, and will take on 2 or more defenders at a time if he needs to. While Hwang has scored a decent amount of goals for RB Salzburg, I do feel that his finishing could use a little bit of work. He does not have a tremendous return, with only 28 goals in almost 90 appearances for Salzburg. Hwang has the ability to be a clinical finisher, but he sometimes lacks the composure in front of goal needed for a striker that wants to become world class.

Physical:

Physically, Hwang is someone who possess the rare combination of pace and physicality for a striker. Hwang is blistering fast, and can outrun even the fastest of fullbacks in a 1v1. He is also a very physical player, with him not being scared to take on opponents in a 1v1 for a loose ball. He doesn’t lack aerial presence at times however, with him not being the best in taking on opponents in the air for the ball. His work rate and pressing ability is tremendous, with him even pressing opposition defenders after the 80th minute, a point when most strikers have already put in enough of a defensive shift. This pressing and work rate is something that I would consider Hwang’s secret weapon, because he has the ability to strike at any moment and force the opposition defenders into a mistake later in the game, which could come at a crucial point when their legs are not what they were at the beginning of the match. Physically, I would consider Hwang a player who is strong as a bull and fast as a cheetah.

Summary:

Currently, Hwang is being linked with a move to RB Leipzig in Germany. This is a move that makes sense considering he would stay in the Red Bull family of clubs, and he can move to a bigger club where he can continue his development. What interests me more about this move though, is the man he will potentially replace for Die Roten Bullen: Timo Werner. Similar to Werner, Hwang is a fast and physical striker who has a fantastic pressing ability and work rate, but he lacks the finishing ability that Werner has. Moving to Leipzig gives Hwang the opportunity to hone his skills and play in a system that he is used to currently in Austria. If this move happens, Hwang will probably be deployed alongside Patrik Schick or Youssef Poulsen, who are both similar players to Patson Daka who Hwang currently plays alongside of at RB Salzburg. Hwang is a very interesting player, and at only 24, still has room to improve, and I feel that if this rumored move to RB Leipzig happens, then it would be a tremendous coup for Leipzig, and a great choice by Hwang as well.