Kim Min-jae Pass Elite Level, British Athletics refutes

At a time when some German media are cutting Kim Min-jae, British media countered, "We should not criticize Kim Min-jae too much."

"Kim Min-jae has been solid, but his potential makes his position safe in Bayern Munich," The Athletic said in an article titled on the 5th.

Ahead of the second match against Lazio, the team moved on to Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel's remarks. "The problem we have this season is that we haven't had the opportunity to play with the same four-back team. We have always dealt with it well as a team. Recently, we conceded too many goals compared to our standard. We face challenges overall. It's not just a simple defense, it's a team approach," Tuchel said at the meeting.

"We know Chiro Immobile. We controlled him well for a long time in the first game. We lost our rhythm because of personal mistakes. I wouldn't be surprised if Lazio play on the counterattack. We need possession and good defense when attacking. All of this has to be done at the highest level for 90 minutes," he said.

There were signs that Eric Dier, who wore a Bayern Munich uniform as a starting center back in the second game with Lazio, would replace Kim Min-jae, who emerged as a world-class center back with a strong performance in Serie A last season. Bayern Munich won 2-1 against Leipzig RB, where Dier started, on the 25th, but drew 2-2 in the previous game with Freiburg, where Kim Min-jae replaced Dier.

"Kim Min-jae failed to join Group A at the final training session ahead of the Lazio match," German media Bild said on Wednesday, a day before the match. Kim Min-jae will start the match on the bench, not on the starting lineup. Munich coach Tuchel said he chose Dyer and Matthijs the Licht as the center defense line, replacing Kim Min-jae.

Bayern Strikes, which deals with Munich news, added, "Coach Tuchel trusts Dier. He is satisfied with his performance so far. He will retain his starting position in Bayern Munich until the end of the 2023-24 season."

In fact, Tuchel put Kim Min-jae on the bench and put together four-back strategy centering on Dyer and Duricht. The decision was a success. While attempting 24 shots, Bayern Munich did not allow any effective shots at all to Lazio and advanced to the quarterfinals by reversing its 0-1 defeat in the first round with a complete victory of 3-0.

"Luciano Spalletti, who coached Kim Min-jae in Naples, called him the 'world's best center back' last year," said The Athletic, who shed light on Kim Min-jae's situation ahead of the match. Former Beijing coach Rose Schmidt said, "Potential is the best in the world." "Kim Min-jae watched Lucas Holler score an equalizer late in the second half in the match against Freiburg on Friday. In terms of personal mistakes, this is not as bad as the wrong pass in the 1-2 defeat against Sarbukken and 4-2 victory against Heidenheim in the third division, but it the mistake against Freiburg symbolizes some of the helplessness that captivated the entire team."

"Kim Min-jae, who was recruited due to his combative style of play and active presence in the box, was not able to exert any authority over the constantly changing four-back line," Kim said. "Considering the many problems Bayern Munich has experienced this season, we should not criticize him too much. Bayern Munich only conceded one goal in a 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, when Tuchel put forward his preferred defense players, including Marzawi, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae and Davis, and Kim Min-jae showed great potential. Kim Min-jae is tall, with his flagship skills and good positioning. He also said that he carries the ball well to the midfield, passes to the elite level, and his interception ratio 2.18 per 90 minutes is in the 99th percentile among the top five league players."

"Other defensive qualities, such as calmness under leadership and pressure, are hard to measure. This connection will be higher in his second season when things will be more stable at the Allianz Arena," he said. "Kim Min-jae could get off to a head start under the next coach. He is one of the closest defenders to having a good season so far and one of the few players safe from the big changes expected this summer. Unlike Bayern Munich players, who seem to have lost confidence since Han Ji-flick left in 2021, Kim Min-jae is exactly embodying the resilience the club wants from their players. Maybe his difficult journey to the top can help him see things far away."

Bayern Munich recently suffered a slump with only one win, one draw and three losses in five league and Champions League games. The league championship was far away, and it broke up with Tuchel. Bayern Munich advanced to the quarterfinals in a chaotic situation. This leaves open the possibility of winning this season.

"It's good for all of us. The team did a great job today. It showed we can play with control. We deserved to win. It was a comfortable game to prepare for the upcoming challenge. Now we will prepare for Saturday's game against Mainz," he said with joy.

Bayern Munich Sports Director Max Ival said, "We put the plan into action. We did it for 90 minutes and deserved to win. It is not easy to play like this against Lazio. It is a throat to overturn the 0-1 inferiority against the Italian team. Tuchel's division prepared the team very well and the team carried it well onto the field. It was important to advance to the next round. The team handled the situation well. Turned the pressure into positive energy. We have to be realistic. We deserve to win and everyone should enjoy it. We are taking small steps and we have to experience today's moment of success. I want to continue this momentum in the matches of Mainz and Darmstadt."

"We were very disciplined. It was a very solid game," Tuchel said. "We played much more courageously than the first game and our rhythm was better. The first goal gave us strength and our second came from a perfect moment. It gave us confidence. We deserved to win with a very good, solid team performance. We stayed focused and trained for the whole 90 minutes. It was easier than I thought. We did well," he praised his players.

The result of the game was encouraging for the players, too. "We are very happy and we are trying to enjoy it. It feels really good. The team deserves to win. We all know how important winning is. We achieved what we wanted. We know we played well. We are not completely relieved, but we have taken a very important step." Kane, who is close with Dyer, said, "It was a perfect night for us. It was a big game, 0-1 down in the first leg. It was a big moment this season. It was our best performance. We had energy and we pressed even without the ball. We are really proud of the players."

"We showed good performance in the first half. It was regrettable that we lost the second point just before the end of the first half. That hurt our hope. It was even bigger because we had our chance right before the game. Bayern Munich played like Bayern Munich today. They showed quality on the field. In the end, a stronger team advanced to the finals," he congratulated. 토토사이트