I don't think LYD has actually lost any of his ability, it's just that he doesn't feel comfortable with Ko in that he does not have the confidence to go all out knowing his partner can support him. Ko doesn't give that rock solid dependable support that JJS has given him and so LYD cannot play his own game. He needs that solid consistent strong aggressive partner that creates opportunities for him to exploit. Very similar to CY/FHF. This is why the CY/FHF vs JJS/LYD matches were so good to watch. They are essentially a mirror of each other although the Koreans are a bit better in defense and the Chinese a bit better in attack.
^ Yes, I know exactly what you mean. LYD hasn't gotten worse, it's just that he's unable to take these half chances and risks at the net where he excels at, because he's not confident that Ko can cover him at the back. And this applies when the positions are reversed too. So Lee ends up playing safe shots.
Hm maybe sometimes, but what I've also seen is the he's making bad choices quite often. Also he started playing more and more trickshots in 2012 (with JJS), often going for outrageous double-motions which get him in trouble as the resulting lift is often a bit too flat and also much later (giving his opponents more time to get into a good base position) than if he had played it without the 'deception' (which I've only seen Christine Pedersen fall for). Imop, he has gotten worse.
^ Lol... yeah what's with his double motion lift shots in the past year? Works for him perhaps only 1 out of 10 times.
I agree LYD is still a very good player (and one of my favorites) but to blame Ko for why he has lost form is a bit simplistic. I think he just needs to move on from his time with Ko and hopefully be successful with Yoo. Im sure they will find a suitable partner soon.
LYD was quick cocky when he was with JJS especially the semis at the OG with the finger wagging at the Danes. He can't afford to be that cocky with KSH.
Haha, as soon as they're set to split, they go on to beat Liu/Qiu in straight sets Still, I'm excited to see the two new combinations. Shin/Ko could be a bit vulnerable defensively (both tend to stand very deep in court), but Shin is probably gonna mesh well with Ko as he's a pretty well-rounded player in my eyes with no outstanding strengths or weaknesses. Would give Ko the opportunity to mix it up more instead of trying to force getting to the back of the court as he's prone to doing with Lee. After it's been hyped up a bit here, I'm also fairly interested in seeing how Lee/Yoo will do. Imop the pair has decidedly less potential than the Ko/Lee pairing, but I'd be happy to be surprised. Maybe they'll play a slightly different style with less all-out attacking from the back as they can't match Ko's power in that department and instead focus more on other aspects like the serve-return situation and flat rallies which Ko/Lee lost against their 2 nemeses (Ahsan/Setiawan, Liu/Qiu).
They're just fortunate that Qiu/Liu were tired from last week's China National Games. I still say that Yoo hits harder consistently more so than Ko. Ko's muscle mass gets in the way of his agility on court and also adversely affects any whipping action. Oh btw there's a specific Lee/Yoo thread now.
Where are your eyes, man, how can you even consider that thought!! Really though, Yoo's hardest usually just reach Ko's average 'hard smash'. Once in a while he'll really unleash a cracker, but needs much time to prepare and can uphold that kind of pace throughout the match. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Korea currently doesn't have a really suitable partner for Lee. Ko/Yoo mesh well, have only a slightly favored formation and seemed to have no confidence/pressure issues, Kim/Kim combine super well too, and Shin would be a good choice but I maintain my point that he can't sustain the kind of attacking game Jung could. So far I haven't seen anyone able to do that in the squad, the one who comes closest in style and attacking capabilities (imop) is Kim Sa Rang as he's very fast and well-rounded, probably being a bit better defensively than Ko while not having quite the same smash. But his overall pace is just amazing, he can play a smash and not even a second later kill it at the net. On the other hand I would hate to tear the Kim/Kim pairing apart, so if I were a Korean coach, I'd tear my hair out at this point
Lol... just to prove us and their coaches wrong they go and win the China Masters. Although honestly the competition wasn't there with most of the Chinese pairs spent from last week's Chinese National Games and absence of top 10 pairs eg. Bo/Moe, Koo/Tan, Ahsan/Setiawan.
Yeah the Chinese were so spent. Like they were all spent at the AE from playing the German Open... And did you seriously just mention Koo/Tan as competition?? BoMo's and MA/HS's absence makes it a lot easier though, that's true.
I have to agree with j4ckie here, there is no way Yoo's smash is better than Ko's. And although a lot have been critical of Ko (including me) I think there is currently no one better for LYD in the Korean squad. I'm not sure if Qiu/Liu lost because they were "tired" as such. I think they just played extremely badly, unforced error after error after error. Not sure if others had noticed, but LYD/Ko seem to play a little differently though in that they mixed up a lot of flat drives, push drops and cross court shots, moving their opponents around more which confused the Chinese on occasions. Seem to work well as it gave them less chances to expose Ko's relatively weak defense. But they were handed the win imo.
With choosing Yoo vs Ko, I suppose it's more of a complete package ie attack, defence, etc. Imo Yoo is more effective at both. We already how good or bad Ko's defence is. His smashes are fast but not as effective. Yoo's defence is better, mid court and front game is better, tactics are better, and his smashes more effective as the placement and accuracy is better. Here's a video of Yoo and partner vs Shin and partner in last week's Taipei Open XD final. Watch it and you'll see why. http://youtu.be/KDOmZKo3gRM
Haha, funny, I just watched the CM XD SF with Yoo and couldn't help but think how ineffective his smashes were Anyway, no sense arguing over spilled milk, the LYD/YYS pairing is definitely happening. I'll be more than interested in how the 2 new pairs will compare to the previous combinations. Should they both mesh well, it could be very dangerous for the other nations, as they'd have 3 top MD pairs and to take titles other pairs would have to beat 2 or even 3 of them in a row. A tough prospect, if you ask me. Really can't wait for their next tournament!
that is such a shame really. i'm a big KSH fan and i think LYD's head has gotten too big for his shoulders, with all the girlfriend scandals he's had in the korean news. to be honest, jung's defense wasn't up to par with LYD either, although he was fast on the scramble and great court coverage. How could they expect KSH and LYD to develop a good partnership after only a year and then some (not counting their 2011 debut)?
Yeah. One tournament. They're practically Olympic and World champions....not to take anything away from them, they really played well. But Ko/Lee won quite a few tournaments as well and were looking hot and in form, only to fizzle out....although I hope it doesn't happen to the new combinations.
