Kiker, a German soccer magazine, is still critical of Kim Min-jae, who was active in the early days of the season. However, Kim has shown good performance under the leadership of Bangsang Kompany.
Bayern Munich will face Bayer Leverkusen in the fifth round of the Bundesliga in the 2024-25 season at 1:30 a.m. on the 29th (Korea Standard Time) at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. Munich is ranked first with four consecutive wins, while Leverkusen is ranked third with three wins and one loss.
Since the opening of the league, Munich has been on a good track for the first time in a long time. It scored 20 goals in three previous official matches, and lost only three points. In the Bundesliga, it won four consecutive games, recording only 16 goals and three goals. Munich, which boasted the prowess of the German giant, was unstable in the 2020s and fell to the third place in the league last season, but it got off to a different start this season.
Kompany, who replaced Thomas Tuchel, is leading Munich’s rise since the opening. In particular, he has become the main player of the new record with his victory over Werder Bremen. European soccer expert Fabrizio Romano said Kompany became the first coach to win three away games since Pep Guardiola in the 2015-16 season. Kompany is on his way to six consecutive wins in all official games this season.
The next opponent is Leverkusen, who wrote the “unbeatable championship myth” last season. Considering that Munich has mainly dealt with mid- to low-ranking teams since the opening of the season, Munich under Coach Kompany could be a real test. Leverkusen was also caught by RB Leipzig, but it still showed strong momentum, winning a 4-0 victory over Feyenoord in the UCL and a 4-3 come-from-behind victory against Wolfsburg.
Ahead of the match, criticism existed against Kim Min-jae. While delivering his prediction against Leverkusen, German “Kicker” began to criticize Kompany, saying, “Coach Kompany needs a fast defender by building a high defense line. I chose Kim Min-jae and Upamecano instead of Eric Dier, and in the opening match, the two players proved again that they are the weakest center-back combination in Munich.”
“Uphamecano has a good basic level, but he needs a stable leader next to him. Kim Min-jae has poor pass ability and ball control, but if you play against a strong team, you will see the competitiveness of Kim Min-jae and Upamecano. On top of that, if Hiroki Ito returns from injury, unstable Kim Min-jae could be pushed out as a substitute,” he stressed.
Unlike last season, Kim Min-jae is continuing his stellar performance under Kompany. Since the season’s opening, he started in all four Bundesliga matches and the first round of the UEFA Champions League phase. He was a bit disappointed due to his fatal mistake in the match against Wolfsburg, but he started showing consistent performance after the match against Freiburg.
In the last match against Bremen, Kim Min-jae’s strengths, especially in Naples, were clearly revived. Kim Min-jae never allowed a shot to his opponent, and even when he was given a chance to counterattack, he neatly blocked the strikers.
The Bundesliga officially named Lee Ju’s best team. Kim Min-jae, along with his partner Upamecano, was positioned as Lee Ju’s team’s central defender in the fourth round of the league. The local media’s evaluation was mixed, contrary to the German “Bild” and “Kicker” giving them rather plain ratings with 3 and 2.5 points, respectively.
Germany’s “TZ” has highlighted the revival of Kim Min-jae’s presence under Kompany. “Kompany chose Kim Min-jae and Dayo Upamecano. Trust in them has been shining since the beginning of the season. Munich is sweeping the Bundesliga. It has secured four matches and scored 16 goals. Three goals each also seem to be more stable in the early stages of the season than under Thomas Tuchel,” the German team said. 토토사이트
The record also showed that Kompany’s new pressure system helps Munich’s defense capability. It encourages all players to join the defense without allowing many gaps in opponent team’s defense. Kim Min-jae ranks first in the Bundesliga with a success rate of 66.67 percent in tackle competition. He is ahead of runner-up Upamecano with a success rate of 63.51 percent. Kim was ranked 10th in the Bundesliga with 93.45 percent of accurate passes.
“Kim Min-jae currently holds the Bundesliga season record with 21 successful aerial ball competitions. Kompany gives clear instructions to the players. Under Tuchel, it was often unclear when center backs should advance or not. Kompany pushed his style throughout the 90 minutes. For example, in the last 5-0 great match against Bremen, he instructed Kim Min-jae not to keep pressing and not to give up,” he added.