Bayern Munich left a shocking result with a 1-5 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 14th round of the German Bundesliga in the 2023-2024 season in Frankfurt, Germany, on the 9th
Bayern allowed three goals in the first half alone, starting with Omar Marmusch pushing in Nusair Mazrawi’s pass mistake in the 12th minute of the first half and allowing an additional run in the 31st and 36th minutes of the first half. Bayern, which recovered one goal with Joshua Kimmich’s mid-range shot just before the end of the first half, again penetrated the Frankfurt offense in the 5th minute of the second half and the 15th minute of the second half.
Criticism was strong against Bayern as a whole. Most of the Bayern defense recorded the lowest rating in the team and was pointed out as the cause of the loss. Kim Min-jae couldn’t escape criticism, either. German media outlet Avent Zeitung pointed out the scene where Kim Min-jae was involved, saying, ‘Kim Min-jae returned from a two-week break, but he was not in his normal condition. He was warned, showed caution and negligence in the competition with Knauff, and lost the competition even though he was just meters away.’
German media outlets including Bild and Kicker also gave Kim a rating of six, pointing out her regret for her performance. German media Teche criticized Kim’s performance, saying, “Kim Min-jae was in danger of being sent off due to accumulated warnings. He floundered with his teammates.”
Following the media, players who played for Bayern in the past also criticized Kim’s performance. German media SPOX released an interview with Thomas Helmer, a former Bayern center-back. SPOX said, “Helmer took a hardline stance against Bayern’s defense. That was especially true with newly recruited Kim.”
“The Bayern defense had individual characteristics, but it didn’t work systematically. It’s not just the two center backs, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano,” Helmer said. “Kim Min-jae was surprisingly fast, but he made many mistakes. He is an experienced player, but he was scared. Frankfurt kept him in check several times and lost his ball,” he said, pointing out that Kim did not overcome Frankfurt’s check properly.
After joining Bayern, Kim Min-jae was criticized by team legend Lothar Matheus, saying, “Kim Min-jae is not as good as we expected. It is a source of instability for Bayern. He should get used to the Bundesliga. I am not against Kim Min-jae, but I have not yet met my expectations given the achievements I received in Italy,” and this time Helmer was criticized. Compared to the favorable reviews from the club’s legendary players and the media almost every game in Napoli last season, one can feel that his first season in Bayern is not easy.
Kim Min-jae was not inexcusable, either. On this day’s match, various players, including Kim Min-jae, Kim Mi-hee, Upamecano, and Neuer, made mistakes, resulting in shocking defeat, and he returned to the game after recovering from a hip contusion. In addition, Kim Min-jae is one of the most prolific players in Bayern this season, and the burden was even greater considering A-matches with the Korean national team.
Concerns were not so much at the beginning of the season. With three World Claps center backs – Kim Min-jae, Matthijs Dericht, and Dayot Upamecano – Bayern was not so worried about center backs at the beginning of the season. However, problems arose as Dericht and Upamecano took turns to get injured. When Dericht returned from an injury early in the season, Upamecano left the team with a knee injury, and only Kim Min-jae consistently played in the center-back position, as Dericht once again left the team at a time when Upamecano recently returned from injury. It was difficult to form a center-back without Kim Min-jae.
Kim Min-jae took responsibility for all the burden and played full-time in 15 consecutive games he started, which even led to controversy over overwork. It is inevitable due to the injuries of his teammates, but difficult times continue, with Kim Min-jae also showing signs of fatigue during league games due to continued full-time play. Bayern is aiming to recruit Rafael Varane, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Ronald Araujo in the winter transfer market to reinforce its defense, but Kim Min-jae seemed to need an immediate break.
The player himself was not too worried about overwork. Ahead of the match against China in November, Kim Min-jae said of the controversy over the abuse, “It sounds like I’m full to hear that it’s hard, and I want to thank you for playing. I think I’m playing the game without getting hurt, and I think I need to manage it well without getting hurt,” adding that he was more grateful than the abuse, but concerns did not diminish.
Due to the lack of physical strength, Kim Min-jae was unable to show 100% of his defense skills, including the overwhelming defense he showed in Naples. In the last match against Heidenheim, he suffered a drop in his physical strength in the second half and made a series of mistakes, providing an excuse for the team’s loss. In the previous match against Cologne, he fell on the grass complaining of severe pain by hitting hard with opposing striker Darby Zelke on the ground. Fortunately, Kim Min-jae returned to the field after the medical check-up and played full time.
Problems arose ahead of the last match against Copenhagen. Major media outlets predicted that Kim will not play in the match against Copenhagen. German media Bild said, “Kim Min-jae was already absent from training on Monday. His upcoming match against Copenhagen is uncertain,” adding that Kim may not be able to play in the match after training. In the end, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel decided to exclude Kim Min-jae from the much more relaxed match against Copenhagen, and the reason was a hip contusion. Since then, it has been postponed due to heavy snow until the match against Berlin, and Kim was able to rest for about two weeks in a difficult time.
The two-week break has not been able to relieve all of Kim Min-jae’s fatigue. In addition, Kim Min-jae also appeared more regrettable after taking a break from the cup match against RB Leipzig, and despite the controversy over the incident, he showed a slight shaking in the game after the break, so there is a possibility that the game will be a better performance for Kim Min-jae after the Frankfurt match. If Kim Min-jae plays in the sixth group match of the European Champions League against Manchester United on the 13th and Stuttgart on the 18th, the disappointment of the match against Frankfurt may be reduced.토토사이트