Criticism of the determination
German media once again criticized Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae.
"In the match against Heidenheim, Coach Thomas Tuchel gave unnecessary rest to Matthias de Licht and Eric Dier, and was disappointed with his replacement players. Now, in the case of Kim Min-jae, the question arises whether he lacks confidence or is a class necessary for Munich," German Kicker said on the 7th.
Munich lost 2-3 in the 28th round match against Heidenheim of the German Bundesliga in the 2023-2024 season at Heiden Heim Boyce Arena in the German state of Württemberg at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Kim started as center back in a match against Dayo Upamecano.
Munich got off to a good start in the first half. It continued a frustrating trend until the end of the first half, but Harry Kane scored with a right-footed volley shot after Serge Gnabry's lobbing pass in the 38th minute of the first half. Then, in the 45th minute of the first half, Gnabry scored a header off Alfonso Davis' cross.
Kim also displayed very good performance in the first half. Kim scored the first goal with a starting pass in Kane's scoring scene. He also performed well in defense. Kim saved his opponent's mid-range shot in the 12th minute, and Kim displayed good defense to make up for Kim's build-up mistake in the 33rd minute.
However, his performance in the second half was the worst. He was involved in all three runs scored by Munich. In the fifth minute of the second half, Kim lost ground in the header contest and provided an excuse for his comeback. Heidenheim's long pass hit Kim's head and flowed backward, leading to Kevin Sessa's comeback.
A minute later, Heidenheim immediately scored an equalizer. An early cross from the left side fell behind Kim Min-jae. Tim Klinedienst dug into Kim Min-jae's back and scored. Kim Min-jae missed Klinedienst perfectly.
In the 34th minute of the second half, Heidenheim came from behind. On the right side, Heidenheim penetrated through from a pincer that penetrated through Kim Min-jae, and Kleindienst hit a grounder cross by pincer with a left footed shot to hit the net. It was a scene where Kim Min-jae was once again involved in losing points.
In the end, Munich lost 2-3. Criticism continued against Kim after the game. Germany's Bild disclosed its rating against Heidenheim after the game. Kim scored six points. Usually, the German media release a score of 1-5, and the lower the score, the better the game was, but six points is the worst.
Kicker also continued his criticism against Kim. Kicker said, "A serious reason for the collapse of Heidenheim lies in the central defense. Upamecano and Kim were long considered Tuchel's favorite duo, but they showed once again why they are not anymore. Kim Min-jae missed out on Kleindienst due to a completely wrong judgment when the tying goal was lost. He also made a mistake in the reverse goal scene."
"It is a surprising result considering the history of Kim Min-jae, who was selected as the best defender in Serie A where he turned his defense into an art last season," he said. "Kim Min-jae is showing this too rarely in Munich. It is not enough to make the right judgment on when to defend from the front and when to step back. In the match against Heidenheim, Kim Min-jae was very anxious after finishing the first half without allowing a single goal."
In fact, after moving to Munich this season, Kim was not well received by the German media. The German kicker gave generous ratings to Eric Dier while giving poor ratings to Kim. He also ranked Kim Min-jae, who played in all 16 matches in the first half, as 11th at the Bundesliga center back.
Other statistical sites, except for the German media, gave Kim a fairly high rating. "Sofascore" gave the team's second-highest rating of 7.7, while "Footmob" and "Husscore" gave the team's third-highest rating of 7.3.
However, Kim Min-jae is unlikely to start in the first round of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Arsenal on the 10th, as he was all involved in the loss. Munich recently recorded one draw and four losses in the five matches in which Kim Min-jae started.
Kicker also said that the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Arsenal on Tuesday will have no choice but to have The Licht and Dyer as starters. They started the match against Heidenheim to give key center backs The Licht and Dyer a break.