Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae criticized for defensive mistakes in Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid

Was I inspired? A painful problem Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae (right) fouls Rodrygo by the arm and knocks him down during the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid last week to be held at the Allianz Arena on the 1st. Munich | Reuters Yonhap News

“He got too greedy twice.”

Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich), who was involved in both goals conceded in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final home match against Real Madrid (Spain), identified as a party to the breach. Munich coach Thomas Tuchel publicly criticized Kim Min-jae’s defensive mistakes in the post-match press conference.

Munich drew 2-2 in the first leg of the 2023-2024 UCL semi-finals held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on the 1st.

In both situations of surrendering goals, Kim Min-jae’s too early prediction became a problem. In the first shot at goal, Toni Kroos tried to block the pass he was going to give to Vinicius in advance, but instead he gave up space behind him and conceded a goal. After conceding a goal, Kim Min-jae expressed his dissatisfaction with right-back Yojua Kimmich not covering the space behind him. However, coach Tuchel criticized Kim Min-jae for showing the lead of the defense too quickly and giving Kroos a good pass option. He said, “He (quickly) guesses and is too aggressive. “

Kim Min-jae’s quick defense was also a problem in the second goal conceding shot. Kim Min-jae blocked Rodrygo’s path when his back was turned to the left, but when Rodrygo turned to the other side, he was caught in a backward movement again. In a situation where he could have been one-on-one with the goalkeeper if he allowed a break, he had no choice but to use his hands, which resulted in a PK.

Coach Tuchel said, “We had a numerical advantage with five defenders and two attackers,” and he regretted, “The moment Eric Dier tried to reach out to help him, he had Rodrygo a already knocked down. “

Aside from the scene where he conceded a goal, Kim Min-jae’s performance was good. While faithfully serving as the starting point for passes to the team’s main guns, Kane and Sane, he recorded 3 interceptions, 1 successful long ball, and a 97% pass success rate. However, even when a waiting defense was required, he jumped forward and was used by the opponent.

Kim Min-jae was considered the best defender in Serie A in Italy, known as the home of defense. Based on quick feet and anticipation, the team won with a challenging defense that cut off the opponent’s passes from the front. He gave Napoli their first league championship trophy in 33 years and was also voted the best defender in the league.

However, this result was possible because Napoli put strong defensive pressure, starting with first-line strikers such as Victor Osimhen, and kept a narrow gap between offense and defense. Munich’s pressure from the first and second lines is not as strong as Naples was last season, and the gap between attack and defense is wide. Therefore, the defensive area that Minjae Kim has to cover has expanded, and the areas that need to be predicted have increased.