 |
| photo capture=European Football Confederation |
|
 |
| photo capture=European Football Confederation |
|
'Monster'Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) is a matchmaker.
On the 29th (Korea time), UEFA selected and announced 11 of the best performers among the players who played in the fifth European Champions League phase of the 2024-2025 season. Kim Min-jae was proudly named. Kim Min-jae was selected as the best defender along with Rami Ben-Sebaini (Dortmund), Pau Kubarsi (Barcelona), and Wirien Timber (Arnall).
Kim Min-jae also tied for third in the 5th round 'Fantasy Point', which was released soon after. Florian Birz (Leverkusen) and Charles DeKettelrer (Atalanta) tied for first with 19 points. Kim Min-jae, who scored 18 points, tied for third with Marcos Orenthe (Atletico) and Alex Grimaldo (Leverkusen).
Kim Min-jae performed best against Paris Saint-Germain on the 27th. As usual, Dayo Upamecano and Kim Min-jae, who defended the central defense, showed their presence in offense and defense. Kim Min-jae scored in the 38th minute of the first half by pushing it in with a header when the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper failed to properly handle a corner kick from the left by Jojua Kimmich. It was Kim Min-jae's first UCL score. Kim Min-jae, who made his UCL debut against Liverpool in September 2022 when he was in Naples, scored in his 25th game. Kim Min-jae shared his joy with Upamecano, who ran right away.
Kim Min-jae started the game and played full-time, recording a 93% pass success rate, one tackle success, one shot block, seven clearings, four header clearings, two interceptions and three restoration of ball ownership. Bayern Munich, led by Kim Min-jae's performance, won 1-0. Bayern continued its remarkable record of seven consecutive official games without losing a point.
The UEFA named Kim Min-jae the man of the match (POTM). The UEFA Technical Observer Panel concluded the match with his own goal. He showed great strength in the duel' explained the reason.
The German media also praised him. Even Bild and Kicker, who usually had a bad evaluation of Kim Min-jae, raised their thumbs. Bild said 'Kim Min-jae is not just a defender. He gave Bayern the highest rating in the team, one point, saying, 'It's the leader of the defense and it adds to the stability of the whole game. The kicker also gave the highest score and was the best player in today's game. He called the threat of PSG completely neutralized.
Other media were similar. Germany's TZ gave the highest rating of one point 'Kim Min-jae is playing in 24 consecutive games. He is loved and scored his first UCL goal on the day to give Munich a victory. He performed flawlessly as a defense and provided stability to the defense. Barbarian Football Works was also as hard as a rock, comparing Kim Min-jae to 'Kaiser'. Perfect timing tackle, great positioning, clean pass and even scoring. After the disaster against Barcelona, Kim Min-jae revived like a phoenix and showed why Munich recruited him.
Bayern coach Bang Sang Kompany also gave a thumbs up. He is "To be honest, I'm so satisfied. It was decided that our fans wanted to return home satisfied. Our pressure in the first half was really great. If we could have scored another goal or two, the game would have been a little more stable. However, it was a very good game overall." Then "The strikers don't want to train with the defenders. It's a positive sign in training. A defender must demonstrate his ability through multiple games, not just one. We are now moving in the right direction. As for Kim Min-jae, he said, "There is nothing more to say except the fact that he is a good defender."
Kim Min-jae showed his affection for his partner Upamecano after the game. Kim Min-jae, who was interviewed after the game, said "I love Upamecano so much. "I'm happy and happy to play with him in itself. We're winning in Bundesliga, Pokal Cup, and UCL by fighting the players together every game. It's not always easy, but it's possible." "I'm so proud of my first UCL goal, and I'm glad I got three points" "I think we'll be able to win the UCL enough. Of course we're the favourites."
Germany's Sky Sports praised Kim Min-jae for his teamwork with Upamecano, shedding light on his remarks. Upamecano previously expressed satisfaction with his teamwork with Kim Min-jae. 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.
Unlike Tuchel, who had difficulty adapting and tactics during his somewhat eccentric style, Kim Min-jae is showing confident and bold play under Kompany.
Meanwhile, Liverpool's Casey Kelleher was the goalkeeper of the best 11. Rade Krunic (Trvena Zvezda), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Birz and Alexis McAllister (Liverpool) were selected for midfield. The strikers were Julián Álvarez (Atletico Madrid) and Matteo Rettegui (Atalanta).
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
