[OSEN=이인환 기자] As Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich) was shaken, the combination of Eric Dier and Matthias de Ligt was forced to play as a defensive combination against Arsenal, the strongest striker in the English Premier League (PL).
Bayern Munich suffered a 2-3 comeback defeat in the away match against Heindenheim in the ‘2023-24 German Bundesliga Round 28’ held at Poyt Arena in Heidenheim, Germany on the 7th (Korean time).
Kim Min-jae appeared as a starter for the first time in five games. It was his first start in a month due to the international break. Kim Min-jae joined Dayot Upamecano at centre-back. Coach Thomas Tuchel, before the Champions League showdown with Arsenal, implemented a rotation.
The results were not good. Munich scored the first two goals with Harry Kane’s first goal in the 38th minute and Gnabry’s extra goal in the 45th minute. Nevertheless, Munich, who scored three goals in the second half, lost 2-3.
Unfortunately, Kim Min-jae was criticized for being part of the three goals he conceded and was identified as the culprit of the loss. Kim Min-jae lost a aerial duel with striker Kleindienst during a long kick by the opposing goalkeeper in the 5th minute of the first half, giving him an excuse to score the first goal.
Even in the situation where he conceded an extra goal, Kim Min-jae Kleindienst failed. The winning goal was scored in the 36th minute of the second half, when Kim Min-jae was unable to prevent Fieringer from breaking through in an ambiguous position. The performance was so bad that it would not be an exaggeration to say that Kim Min-jae was literally responsible for the three goals he conceded.
Although he did not mention a specific player’s name, Munich coach Thomas Tuchel evaluated the game, saying, “There was an extreme lack of vigilance in the first five minutes of the second half, and the one-on-one battle with which the opponent was so weak so it’s hard to win the game.” The story is that the players let their guard down.
It’s safe to say that he sniped at Kim Min-jae, who was tussling with his opponent every time he conceded a goal. On this day, Kim Min-jae tried to stop his opponent with his unique attacking defense, but he gave the opponent a comfortable chance in a dangerous situation. It is safe to say that this was his worst performance in Europe.
Coach Tuchel’s point is so simple that it cannot be seen as the player’s fault. In fact, the German media identified Kim Min-jae as the culprit behind the loss that gave him the worst rating. In particular, ‘Built’ gave a score of 1 to 5 points, and attracted attention by giving the worst score of 6 to Kim Min-jae.
Germany’s Bild said, “Kim Min-jae had the worst game, being involved in all three goals. “I wasn’t able to take advantage of the opportunity to play as a starter for the first time in a long time,” he said. There may be a problem with his sense of the game, but the forward defense that made him considered the best defender in the world at Napoli has become toxic.
Meanwhile, Munich will play an away match against Arsenal in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League on the 10th. Due to the schedule, Kim Min-jae is likely to return to the bench. Kim Min-jae put in a sluggish performance in his first start for a long time, proving Tuchel right.
In some ways, it is safe to say that since Munich stopped competing for the league title, they have clearly rotated the team against Heidenheim. Even at such a testing stage, Kim Min-jae was in the worst shape, deepening the distrust of coach Tuchel.
Public opinion remained critical in Germany. Germany’s TZ noted, “Coach Tuchel didn’t trust Kim Min-jae recently, but he got a chance against Heidenheim. However, as seen in Kim Min-jae’s facial expression when he conceded a goal, he showed his side only worse.”
The German ‘Kicker’, who has constantly criticized Kim Min-jae, published a special article about Kim Min-jae and criticized him strongly, saying, “I am very disappointed coach Tuchel, who gave me a chance on after a long time. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s a lack of confidence or a lack of necessary ability.”
The kicker said, “Upamecano’s mistake is a mistake, but Kim Min-jae’s position is also a problem. He was the best defender in defense-oriented Serie A, but he is uneasy in Munich. Honestly, I am not knows when he is showing proper protection. Now he has to change himself.” he noted.
Kim Min-jae, who lost his sense of the game, continued to face trials. Munich were pretty much defeated by winning the Bundesliga anyway. The next game between Arsenal and UCL is the home game against Cologne on the 13th. It was a game where we had to test new combinations, not just rotation, but it was a very damaging game.
Kicker predicted that Kim Min-jae would also be missing from the Arsenal game. The media said, “In the match against Arsenal, Munich will probably use De Ligt and Dier as starters,” and “Manuel Neuer or Leroy Sane are also likely to appear,” introducing the expected lineup .
However, since Arsenal successfully targeted Dier during his PL days, this is very likely to be a disaster. Indeed, during his Tottenham days, he showed an ability to accurately target space behind the slow Dyer. Since Arsenal have fast players like Bukayo Saka, using Dier could not help but be unreasonable.
With league wins and the Pokal Cup in the offing, Munich are in a position where they have to play a full part in the UCL. However, if Dier is used against Arsenal due to Kim Min-jae’s poor performance, it is very likely to be a disaster like in the past at Tottenham. In fact, the Dier-der Ligt combination showed its limitations against Dortmund.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 08:
In many ways, Munich suffered even more setbacks due to Kim Min-jae’s sluggish performance. Attention is given to see if the combination of Dier and De Ligt will be able to hold out against Arsenal, who are considered to have the strongest firepower in the PL. /mcadoo@osen.co.kr
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