Tottenham Hotspur: Welcome Back, Lee

“Chorongi,” Lee Young-pyo (29, Tottenham Hotspur), has made his comeback on the soccer field.

After five games of nonattendance, Lee played a full game on September 29 in the second home game of the first round against Slavia Prague (Czech) for the title of the 2006-2007 UEFA Cup. Lee has not been on Coach Martin Jol’s ace list for four games in a row since the match against Manchester United on September 9, after he refused to transfer to AS Rome last month.

Lee helped his team’s 1-0 victory, playing in his original position, left wing-back with a stable but aggressive defense performance.

The ace position remains shaky for Tottenham’s Korean defender, however. He capitalized on the occasion that the season’s promising left-winger, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who secured his ace position for seven consecutive games, was in his down term. Coach Martin Jol replaced him with Lee as a punishment for leading the team into 3-0 defeat with his two misplays against Liverpool held on September 23. Apparently, Lee has to constantly vie for the chief left-wing position with Ekotto.

The second victory earned the Spurs a place in the group stages of the UEFA Cup, in which 40 European football teams will be competing for the championship title.

yjongk@donga.com