"It really goes well with Kim Min-jae, who plays together."
'Monster' was Kim Min-jae's partner, Dayo Upamecano's smile. Bayern Munich won 4-0 in the seventh round of the German Bundesliga in the 2024-2025 season against Stuttgart at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on the 20th (Korea time). Bayern, which has been undefeated in seven games since the opening, has maintained its lead with 17 points (5 wins and 2 draws). Bayern managed to break a winless streak of three games, including two consecutive league draws and a loss to Aston Villa in the second leg of the European Champions League phase. Bayern (goal difference +17) led Leipzig (+9) in second place, ahead of goal difference.
Kim Min-jae showed his best performance on this day as well. Kim Min-jae, who temporarily wore the captain's armband and played both consecutive A matches in October, was listed on the starting list again as soon as he returned to Germany. Kim Min-jae made 10 consecutive starts. It received unlimited trust from director Bang Sang Kompany. Eric Dier was initially expected to play, but Upamecano, who was suspected of being injured, started and worked together. Kim Min-jae has recently maintained a partnership with Upamecano for eight consecutive games.
Kim Min-jae overwhelmed Stuttgart's strikers. Ermedine Demirovic and Dennis Undav are the top two Bundesliga players with more than 20 offensive points in the Bundesliga last season. Kim Min-jae especially competed with Demirovic several times on the day, overwhelming his opponent with his solid physicality. Kim Min-jae blocked the back space with his fast feet and bullied the opponent with his aggressive defense. In the end, coach Sebastian Hurnes had to replace the two players one after another in the middle of the second half. According to 'Foot Mob', Kim Min-jae played 90 minutes and showed perfect defensive indicators, including 100% (2/2) tackle success rate, 5 recovery times, 2 header clear times, and 2 kickouts.
He also showed perfect performance in terms of build-up. As goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's build-up was somewhat unstable, Kim Min-jae came to the front. He played a role as the starting point of the attack with a calm pass even under pressure. In the 35th minute of the second half, he sprayed a sharp pass that became the starting point for Harry Kane's score. Kim Min-jae made 97 passes with 110 touches, the most in both teams. The success rate reached 92 percent.
Kim Min-jae was highly praised for his performance. Footmob gave him 7.5 points, the fourth highest in both teams. The sofa score was also the fourth-highest at 7.6. HuscoordCom had the fifth-highest score of 7.3. The media Bayern Strike was 'perfect performance. He was incredibly brave in the air, superior,' he said, giving him nine out of 10. However, Bild gave three points, meaning ordinary. Local fans also wondered in the comments, 'Kim Min-jae scored three points?'
Meanwhile, it was Harry Kane's day. Bayern, which finished the first half without scoring, won the game completely with Kane's hat trick in the second half. Kane opened the scoring with a surprise right-footed mid-range shot in the 12th minute of the second half. Three minutes later, he scored an additional goal by breaking through a series of tackles by defenders during the mix-up. In the 35th minute, João Palinha's shot fell off the defender and quickly pushed it with his left foot to complete the hat trick. It was Kane's third hat trick this season. Kane started his second consecutive win as the top scorer in the Bundesliga after Omar Marmusi (Frankfurter, 9 goals). Bayern finished the complete victory in the 44th minute of the second half with Kingsley Comang scoring an additional goal.
After the game, Upamecano opened up about his partnership with Kim Min-jae in an interview with Kylian Kreitmeyer of 'AZ'. Upamecano said, `I really like Kim Min-jae who plays with me.' `Kim Min-jae seems to have gained confidence," he said with a thumbs up. Then "Kim Min-jae received a lot of criticism like I did before." But that's football. We must continue to stay alert and do our best at all times."
In fact, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano received a lot of criticism last season. At the beginning of the season, the main players were Kim Min-jae and Uphamecano lines. Kim Min-jae played so many games that he was close to overwork. However, Upamecano suffered from frequent injuries and Kim Min-jae repeated his slump after the Asian Cup, and the two were criticized a lot. In the end, Matthijs Diricht and Eric Dier emerged as the main center back duo. Instead of Kim Min-jae and Uphamecano, who play aggressive defense, Tuchel used the Diricht-Dear duo, who play classic defense by keeping the box static.
However, the atmosphere has changed with the new appointment of Bangsang Kompany, who emphasizes aggressive soccer. Slower Diricht sent him to Manchester United altogether. Dier also retreated to the bench. Coach Kompany emphasizes playing by raising the line, and he is using Kim Min-jae and Uphamecano, who are rich in speed and activity. Of course, the opening match against Wolfsburg made mistakes and showed signs of anxiety, but the combination of the two players seems to be getting better and better. In particular, Kim Min-jae is more powerful as he regains his form from his Napoli days.
Coach Kompany is drawing out the performance of the two players with detailed guidance. Kim Min-jae said, `Coach Kompany explains to the players what they want in much more detail.' TZ reported the article 'How Kompany got Bayern's defense back on track', and it was possible to get hints about Kompany's detailed tactics. For now, Kompany prefers bold pressure with all the players, including Harry Kane. Through this, the gap between the defense lines was reduced, and the range covered by Kim Min-jae was reduced. The role of the build-up play was lifted upward, easing the burden on the defense, and delicately instructing when the center backs will advance and retreat and how to cover them.
Coach Kompany also expressed satisfaction with their performance. He is giving compliments to the two players. Director Kompany also "What is a mistake? We are doing everything well as a team"He sent his trust to the two center backs. The same goes for the players. Joshua Kimmich also "The performance they've shown over the last few weeks is great. They have to defend a large space. It takes a lot of skill to defend the big space behind you from a position 50 to 60 meters from the goal. They were criticized after the Wolfsburg match, but the coach openly defended them. Now they are repaid. Both players are showing outstanding form.'
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." Unlike Tuchel, who had difficulty adapting and tactics during his somewhat eccentric style, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano are confident and playing boldly under Kompany. Barcelona is the next opponent between Kim Min-jae and Upamecano, who are playing as a solid starting center back duo. Former Bayern coach Han Ji Flick and former Bayern ace striker Roberto Lewandowski were in the lineup. For Barcelona, Spain's Primareri is leading the way. It is expected that the two players will be able to test their power again through an away match in the European Champions League on the 24th.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
