'KIM's worst teacher ever!' Tuchel's atrocities were revealed...'Ignore Kim Min-jae since the beginning of the season'→'I was a loner in the team+Lack of relationships in the locker room'

Sep 03, 2024

Shocking news about how hard Kim Min-jae's last season was appeared.

Germany's TZ on the 2nd (Korean time) 'Explanation of the mistake? The Bayern Munich star failed to connect with the team, reports said.

Kim Min-jae joined Bayern ahead of last season with the expectation of a huge performance for Napoli. Bayern clubs and fans' expectations were huge because Kim Min-jae showed a monstrous defense during his Napoli days. Kim Min-jae did not play properly during the pre-season and proceeded with military training, but he showed good performance by playing the main role throughout the first half of the season immediately after joining Bayern. He devoted himself to the team by keeping his starting position even when other center backs decided to be injured.

There was a problem from the second half of the year. Kim Min-jae's mistakes increased due to his rapid decline in physical strength and poor concentration in the game, and he gradually lost his position to Mathias Derricht and Eric Dier after the Asian Cup. Then, as mistakes appeared in each game, fans and German media reacted coldly. In the end, Kim Min-jae spent most of the second half of the year on the bench, going through a difficult time.

This summer, Thomas Tuchel left and Bangsang Kompany took a new post and began to seize the opportunity again. Kim Min-jae, who has devoted himself to Bayern training since the pre-season, immediately jumped back to the starting lineup and was criticized for his shocking error in the opening game, but later showed solid performance again against Freiburg in the second round and strengthened his will to play this season.

TZ says 'Bayern has been causing concern in recent years. It's defense. Along with Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae is also attracting attention. He regularly made mistakes in his opening match against Wolfsburg. He was named Serie A's best defender, but he rarely showed stability at Bayern and angered Bayern fans,' he said, shedding light on Kim Min-jae's difficult situation from last season.

Then, Christian Polk, a reporter from Bild, Germany, provided an explanation for Kim Min-jae's repeated mistakes. Polk revealed that Kim Min-jae is a sensitive person and said he had a difficult time in the Bayern locker room and had not settled down properly in the team yet. Polk described Kim Min-jae as a loner and said he lacked connections in the locker room. "There's a good chance he's had a hard time melting into the team."

There were even claims that Tuchel did not care about Kim Min-jae properly. Tobias Altcheple, a Bild reporter who hosted the podcast with Polk, said, `Tuchel somewhat ignored Kim Min-jae except when he first wanted him", he said, pointing out that there was a lack of interest and care for Kim Min-jae.

As a player, it is highly likely that communication problems in the locker room and the manager's indifference have led to mistakes and lack of confidence in the stadium at a time when he has to adapt to Germany again through Italy in just two years.

Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae seems to have solved the locker room problem to some extent under the coach Kompany. TZ said 'Kompany, who was a world-class defender, communicated more with Kim Min-jae and found a better relationship in the locker room. He explained that he showed a better performance against Freiburg.

Kim Min-jae, who wants to prove his qualification as Bayern's main player in a better environment this season, is expected to play importantly for the rest of the season. Attention is focusing on whether he will be able to overcome the difficulties he faced under the Tuchel system and repay Kompany's faith.

digh1229@sportschosun.com