'Iron Pillar' has been revived.
'Monster' Kim Min-jae showed perfect defense. It was no exaggeration to say that it was his best performance since moving to Bayern Munich. It was like looking at the Napoli days.
Bayern won 5-0 in the fourth round of the German Bundesliga in the 2024-2025 season against Werder Bremen at Werder Stadion in Bremen, Germany on the 22nd (Korea time). Bayern led the league with four consecutive wins. Bayern, which gave up the championship to Leverkusen last season, is in a state of rebirth under Coach Bang Sang Kompany. He tied DFB Pokal and the European Champions League to win all six games. He showed off his overwhelming firepower by scoring a total of 29 goals in six games and conceding only five goals.
Kim Min-jae was in the center. Kim Min-jae, who is trusted by Coach Kompany, is slowly recovering his prime skills with stable defense every game. Kim Min-jae, who continued to be on the starting list, performed best on the day. Kim Min-jae, who built a central defense with Dayo Upamecano, played full time and never allowed a shot to his opponent. The one-man show also prevented the crisis scene, which is nothing short of losing a point. It was literally a wall.
The detailed indicators were even more surprising. Ground and aerial ball competition was 100%. I tried seven times and won all of them. The tackle success rate was also 100%. It means that he overwhelmed all the competition with the opposing striker. Other numbers were also surprising, including two clearings, four interceptions, and three recoveries. In terms of build-up, he also took 117 cheek touches, recording a 92% pass success rate. He showed a monstrous figure over the airlift.
Kim Min-jae received the highest rating on a statistical site that specializes in mechanical ratings. Huscoord.com gave it a 7.96 rating, the highest among the defense. It was the fifth highest rating among all players. Another media outlet, Footmob, also gave eight points. While the players who scored goals generally received high scores, the fact that they received eight points as defenders means that they performed amazingly.
The harsh German media also gave a thumbs up. Germany 'TZ' gives the highest rating of one, and confident Kim Min-jae is one of Europe's top centre-backs. He showed his confidence back with each tackle. He praised it for always moving forward carefully and blocking potential counterattacks in advance. However, Bild was still conservative. It is higher than in the past when giving four to five points, but only three points. It was the lowest rating in the team. The lower the German rating, the better. Three points can be interpreted as moderate.
Kim Min-jae is definitely getting better. Unlike Thomas Tuchel, who had difficulty adapting and tactics during his somewhat eccentric style, Kim Min-jae is showing his unique confident and bold play under Kompany. He was criticized for his somewhat unstable performance in the opening game, but now such a voice has been heard. Bayern general manager Max Evel said "The defense is working properly. In particular, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano showed outstanding performance. This is Bayern's performance."
While Kim Min-jae defended the rear with a stable defense, Michael Olise, a transfer, flew in the attack. With two goals and two assists, he played a one-man show in which he was involved in all four of Bayern's first goals. Olise, who penetrated the goal area head-on in the 23rd minute of the first half, scored the first goal by finishing the ball from Harry Kane's left foot. Olise, who helped Jamal Musiala score an additional goal in the 32nd minute of the first half, helped his fifth goal by exchanging a 2-1 pass with Kane in the 12th minute of the second half. Olise scored multiple goals in the 15th minute of the second half, even scoring a 4-0 goal in a mixed situation. Bayern won the game in the 20th minute with a net goal from Serge Gnabry following Kane's help.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
