Kim Minjae completely lost his position to be selected

Eric Dier's fate has completely changed in just one season. Since Bang Sang Kompany took over, he has been on the bench, completely losing out in the competition with Kim Min-jae.

German media 'TZ' reported on the 7th (Korea time) that "Dyer, 30, has played only 9 minutes on the field so far. This happened even though Kim Min-jae and Dayo Upamecano showed their undulating performance and there was an urgent demand for center backs."

It is no exaggeration to say that last season was Dyer's best year. Dyer suffered the worst slump at Tottenham Hotspur. His fast-coverage skills and stable defense that he showed after joining Tottenham in the 2014-15 season were nowhere to be found. After the injury, Dyer's main focus declined noticeably, and he made frequent mistakes due to his lack of concentration. With no center back available to replace Dyer through the 2022-23 season, Dyer, who has played consistently, has since completely lost ground.

It was thanks to Coach Anze Postecoglou. Postecoglou raises the defense line high and uses extreme offensive soccer. As such, chances are high that he will allow counterattacks to his opponents. Therefore, Postecoglou prefers center-back with fast focus. Tottenham Hotspur F.C.P.O. brought Mickey van der Ben as a match for Christian Romero, and Van der Ben showed fantastic performance. Dier completely lost ground and went on loan to Bayern Munich as if being chased.

Also, his outlook at Munich was not good. Munich recruited Kim Min-jae, who played an active role in Napoli, ahead of the 2023-24 season. Immediately after his transfer, Kim led Munich's defense, showing off his destructive power. There are other top-notch center backs Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt, and most predict that Dyer will be used as a candidate.

Things drastically changed, however. As the second half of the season progressed, Kim showed signs of instability. Kim showed stable defense, but often made fatal mistakes. He allowed his opponent team to take the lead by making pass mistakes during build-up, and he gave up space to opponent team players by making misjudgment during defense, often making mistakes that led to lost points. As a result, former coach Thomas Tuchel excluded Kim from the starting lineup and started to use Dyer.

Dyer continued to display stable defense capabilities contrary to expectations. Notably, he coached Munich's defense line by showing fantastic teamwork with Matthijs de Ligt. Until the end of the season, Dyer had completely won the competition with Kim Min-jae under the trust of Tuchel. It was a season of blessing in disguise for Dyer.

Dyer's joy did not last long. Tuchel left and Kompany took over the post. As a player, Kompany showed strength in covering the back space based on his fast focus and defending by banking on his strong physical fight. Therefore, he preferred a player of his own style and began to give trust to Kim. Throughout the pre-season before the opening of the league, Kompany actively hired Kim Min-jae and Upamecano rather than Dyer. Dyer has become a substitute again.

The same was true even after the opening of the 2024-25 season. Dyer seemed to have a chance, as opener Kim Min-jae made a fatal mistake and lost a point, but Kompany gave Kim a strong trust. "We should pay more attention to how Kim performed in the next games than to his mistakes," Kompany said. Later, he still selected Kim Min-jae and Upamecano as starters in the second round. Dyer only played for nine minutes as a substitute. 안전놀이터

In the end, Dyer's changed fate is expected to continue. Currently, there are center backs, including Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito, who have been sidelined by injuries. Chances are high that Dyer will again spend time on the bench in that Kompany sent passing points to Stanisic's performance during the pre-season and actively pursued recruiting Hiroki.