‘Monster’ Kim Min-jae is losing out to ‘Gyuluk’ Eric Dyer.
The shocking prospect of Min-Jae Kim being benched again has emerged. The German kicker on Sunday (Sept. 7) predicted Bayern Munich’s starting lineup for the 25th round of the 2023-2024 German Bundesliga against Mainz at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. With Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, and others expected to start, the starting center back combination was Dier-Matthias Düricht. Once again, Kim Min-Jae was named on the bench.
The first game was the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Lazio on June 6. The Champions League was the last trophy Bayern could win this season. The Bavarians have already been eliminated from the Pokal Cup and are trailing Leverkusen in the league. The second-place Bavarians are 10 points behind leaders Leverkusen. After losing the first leg 0-1 away from home, Bayern needed to win the second leg at home to continue their journey. The Bavarians fell to Ciro Immobile’s penalty kick winner. 토토사이트 Kim Min-jae had set up a center-back duo with Dayo Upamecano, but his head was down when Upamecano was sent off. The Champions League was literally Bayern’s last shred of pride this season.
Against Lazio, the Bavarians were supposed to field their best 11, but the mood was strange. According to Germany’s Bild on Friday, Kim Min-jae did not train with what appeared to be the starting lineup in the final training session against Lazio. ‘Kim Min-jae was not with the A team in the last training session of the day, and he will start the match against Lazio from the bench,’ Bild reported, adding that ‘Der Licht and Dyer will be the center back duo.
Before the game, the German media was quick to demean Kim and elevate Dyer. After the game against Freiburg, Augsburger Allgemeine wrote: ‘Despite having Kim Min-Jae at center back in place of the suspended Durich, Bayern were not at all safe defensively in the first 30 minutes, repeatedly allowing their opponents surprisingly wide spaces. Abendzaitoun ‘played alongside Dier in central defense, but there was some uncertainty. He made one good tackle and one clearance in midfield.
The German media was no stranger to criticizing Kim Min-jae.
Kim received harsh reviews after every game. The German media gives players a rating between 1 and 6. One point is given to the player with the best performance. Kim Min-jae was rated between 3 and 5 every game, even though he was practically forced to defend alone due to frequent injuries to Upamecano and Der Licht. This is different from Huscore.com, Footmob, Sofascore, and others that use mechanical ratings. Against Freiburg, the rating was mostly around 4. Despite Dybala’s uncharacteristic instructions and his own immobile defense, he was rated harshly, even though he was solid at the back.
This is the situation. German soccer publication Kicker also left Kim’s name off their roster for the Lazio game. Kicker predicted that Alfonso Davies, Der Licht-Deier, and Konrad Reimer would form the back four.
Despite the speculation, the actual lineup against Lazio was the same as the German media predicted. Dier came in for Kim Min-Jae. And it worked. Bayern defeated Lazio 3-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Dyer lived up to Tuchel’s expectations with a solid performance. Dier played a focused defensive game for the entire 90 minutes, making three clearances, two interceptions, and winning one aerial contest. He also completed 96% of his passes.
After the game,
Tuchel admitted that it was a “tough decision” to bench Kim Min-Jae, but praised Derrikht and Dyer for their performances against Leipzig, saying, “They were outstanding in the last game against Leipzig, so I decided to start them against Lazio.” Kane, who is Dier’s best friend, also praised Dier, saying, “He was at his best against Lazio.” “Surprisingly, Dyer, not Kim Minjae, got the start, and he has earned Tuchel’s trust with his focused tackling and good positional play,” said German outlet Municher Mercury.
The situation seems to be favoring Dyer. This is not a one-off. This is the mood of the German media. ‘TZ’ said, “Dyer surprisingly beat Kim Min-jae to the starting lineup. He repaid coach Thomas Tuchel’s trust with good tackling and good positioning. He kept the back line tightly closed. Germany’s Sport1 also said: “In the first half, he was at his best as a center back. He passed the ball forward well, contested and won headers. He kept the clean sheet and kept the defense tight at the back.”If Kim Min-jae is absent again, the Korean Derby will be canceled. Mainz has Lee Jae-sung on the bench. Lee has two goals and one assist in 20 games this season. In the first meeting between the two players last October, Kim had the last laugh. Bayern won the match 3-1. It was the first Korean derby of Kim’s European career.
The crisis came out of nowhere, and as always, he had to prove himself.
Despite the German media’s doubts, Kim Min-jae has been playing at a high level this season. There are many factors to take into account, such as the aftermath of the summer military exercises, the aftereffects of the Asian Cup in winter, and the fact that this is his first season in Germany. However, Kim’s aggressive defense and intricate build-up play have been enough to keep Bayern’s defense on its toes. 파워볼실시간 As those who have followed him since his time at Tottenham know, Dier is a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment, and Kim will likely get another chance. It’s important for him to take advantage of the time off to improve his form and give himself a chance to bounce back. However, it’s bittersweet to see the lack of appreciation for Kim Min-jae.