Amid the slow-motion horror of watching England fail to address the
ambling majesty of Andrea Pirlo in Kiev last month, it was hard to fend off
memories of Ji-sung Park nullifying the little Italian.
In United’s 2010 Champions League visit to San Siro, the Seoul destroyer had demonstrated precisely how to play the miniature maestro, then of Milan: take his baton and snap it in half.
Park was deployed as an advanced man-marker, detailed with following Pirlo about the field and essentially reducing the game to a 10 v 10 spectacle. While United made a slow start and shipped an early goal, Park’s stifling of Pirlo bought time for the Reds to hit their stride. They gradually did so and went on to register their maiden victory over the Rossoneri on their own patch.
The Korean hardly touched the ball, yet his impact on the game was greater than almost every other player on the field. The match statistics showed that Pirlo made roughly 20 successful passes, when his average had been around 70. With his disciplined task, Park had been anonymously devastating.
When the teams reconvened at Old Trafford, he demonstrated the other side of his penchant for high-stakes games, scoring the third goal as United romped to victory, then heading the winner against Liverpool 10 days later to cement his status as a fans' favourite.
Park had enjoyed a warm status among United supporters since his 2005 arrival from PSV Eindhoven. Grafters quickly burrow their way into the affections of the Red Army, and the South Korean’s sweat-soaked Premier League bow at Everton clinched Sky Sports’ man of the match award and made a lasting first impression.
But the whirring, madcap endeavours of a player branded ‘Three-lung Park’ and ‘Ji force’ in some circles often served to mask the equally valuable subtleties in his game. A versatile, tactically astute player at home in various formations and roles, Park became an integral part of the minutiae of Sir Alex Ferguson’s battle plans.
He fully justified his inclusion, too. Ask fans of Arsenal or Chelsea; the Korean scored five times in eight starts against the Gunners, while his remarkable display against the Blues in May 2011 resembled on-field omnipresence. He also scored against both in the latter stages of the Champions League.
An unremarkable return of 27 goals in 205 appearances masks an often intangible influence, but Park’s waning inclusion rate in 2011/12 hinted that his presence no longer sat comfortably in an evolving midfield line-up flanked by wingers of pace, power and trickery.
His standing among Sir Alex and his coaching staff was further confirmed, however, by a shock recall against Manchester City earlier this year after three months without a Premier League start. Park’s presence demonstrated his reliability, yet City’s emergence as victors underlined the need for an assessment of direction.
The timing suited both parties for Park to leave in search of greater involvement at Queens Park Rangers; a fair reward for a 31-year-old who deserved better than the notion of running down his career as a bit part player.
Unsung in some quarters but never in his own dressing room, Ji-sung Park will always retain a special place in United folklore, wherever he may be.
In United’s 2010 Champions League visit to San Siro, the Seoul destroyer had demonstrated precisely how to play the miniature maestro, then of Milan: take his baton and snap it in half.
Park was deployed as an advanced man-marker, detailed with following Pirlo about the field and essentially reducing the game to a 10 v 10 spectacle. While United made a slow start and shipped an early goal, Park’s stifling of Pirlo bought time for the Reds to hit their stride. They gradually did so and went on to register their maiden victory over the Rossoneri on their own patch.
The Korean hardly touched the ball, yet his impact on the game was greater than almost every other player on the field. The match statistics showed that Pirlo made roughly 20 successful passes, when his average had been around 70. With his disciplined task, Park had been anonymously devastating.
When the teams reconvened at Old Trafford, he demonstrated the other side of his penchant for high-stakes games, scoring the third goal as United romped to victory, then heading the winner against Liverpool 10 days later to cement his status as a fans' favourite.
Park had enjoyed a warm status among United supporters since his 2005 arrival from PSV Eindhoven. Grafters quickly burrow their way into the affections of the Red Army, and the South Korean’s sweat-soaked Premier League bow at Everton clinched Sky Sports’ man of the match award and made a lasting first impression.
But the whirring, madcap endeavours of a player branded ‘Three-lung Park’ and ‘Ji force’ in some circles often served to mask the equally valuable subtleties in his game. A versatile, tactically astute player at home in various formations and roles, Park became an integral part of the minutiae of Sir Alex Ferguson’s battle plans.
He fully justified his inclusion, too. Ask fans of Arsenal or Chelsea; the Korean scored five times in eight starts against the Gunners, while his remarkable display against the Blues in May 2011 resembled on-field omnipresence. He also scored against both in the latter stages of the Champions League.
An unremarkable return of 27 goals in 205 appearances masks an often intangible influence, but Park’s waning inclusion rate in 2011/12 hinted that his presence no longer sat comfortably in an evolving midfield line-up flanked by wingers of pace, power and trickery.
His standing among Sir Alex and his coaching staff was further confirmed, however, by a shock recall against Manchester City earlier this year after three months without a Premier League start. Park’s presence demonstrated his reliability, yet City’s emergence as victors underlined the need for an assessment of direction.
The timing suited both parties for Park to leave in search of greater involvement at Queens Park Rangers; a fair reward for a 31-year-old who deserved better than the notion of running down his career as a bit part player.
Unsung in some quarters but never in his own dressing room, Ji-sung Park will always retain a special place in United folklore, wherever he may be.
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