“It’s really good with Kim Min-jae, who plays together.”
He was the smile of Dayo Upamecano, the “Monster” Kim Min-jae’s partner. Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 4-0 in the seventh round of the German Bundesliga in the 2024-2025 season at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on Tuesday (Korea time). Bayern has maintained its lead with 17 points (5 wins and 2 draws) after seven undefeated matches since the season’s opening. Bayern succeeded in ending its winless streak for three consecutive matches, including two draws in the league and a loss at Aston Villa in the second leg of the European Champions League phase. Bayern (goal difference +17) led Leipzig (+9) in second place, ahead of goal difference.
Kim Min-jae also performed at his best on the day. Kim Min-jae, who temporarily wore the captain’s armband and played two straight A matches in October, was put back on the starting list as soon as he returned to Germany. Kim successfully started 10 consecutive games. He received unlimited trust from Bang Sang Kompany. Initially, Eric Dier was expected to participate, but Upamecano, his “partner” who was suspected of injury, started the game and worked together. Kim Min-jae has recently maintained partnership with Upamecano for eight consecutive games.
Kim overwhelmed Stuttgart’s strikers. Hermedin Demirovic and Dennis Undav are two top Bundesliga players with over 20 offensive points in the Bundesliga last season. Notably, Kim competed with Demirovic several times on the day, and overwhelmed his opponents by banking on his strong physical strength. Kim blocked the space behind him with his fast feet and bullied his opponents with his aggressive defense. Eventually, coach Sebastian Houness had to replace the two players one by one in the middle of the second half. According to Footmob, Kim played 90 minutes and showed perfect defense indicators, including a tackle success rate of 100 percent (2/2), five recovery times, two header clear times, and two kickbacks.
He also showed perfect performance in terms of build-up. As goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s build-up became a bit unstable, Kim Min-jae came to the front. His calm pass even under pressure served as the starting point of the attack. In the 35th minute of the second half, he sprayed a sharp pass that served as the starting point for Harry Kane’s score. Kim Min-jae made 97 passes on the day, making 110 touches, the most in both teams. The success rate reached 92 percent.
Kim Min-jae was highly praised for his performance. Footmob gave him 7.5 points, the fourth highest among the two teams. Sofascore was also the fourth highest with 7.6. Huscore had 7.3, the fifth highest with 7.3. Media outlet Bayern Strike said, “It was a perfect performance. He was incredibly brave in the air and outstanding.” However, Bild gave him 3 points, which means that he is normal. Local fans also wondered, “Kim Min-jae scored 3 points.”
Meanwhile, it was Harry Kane’s day. Bayern ended the first half scoreless and won the game completely with Kane’s hat trick in the second half. Kane opened the scoring with a surprise right-footed mid-range shot at the 12th minute of the second half. Three minutes later, he scored an additional goal by breaking through a series of tackles by defenders during a battle. When João Paligna’s shot hit the defender at the 35th minute, he quickly pushed it with his left foot to complete the hat trick. It was Kane’s third hat trick of the season. Kane was the second in the Bundesliga scoring rankings after Omar Marmuth (Frank Frankfurt, nine goals), starting his second consecutive win. Bayern ended the game completely with Kingsley Coman scoring an additional goal in the 44th minute of the second half.
After the match, Upamecano talked about his partnership with Kim Min-jae in an interview with Kylian Kreitmeyer of “AZ.” Upamecano gave a thumbs-up, saying, “Kim Min-jae seems to have gained confidence.” “Kim Min-jae received a lot of criticism just like I did before. But that’s soccer. We need to keep our heads up and always do our best.”
In fact, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano received a lot of criticism last season. Up until the beginning of the season, the main players were Kim Min-jae and Upamecano. Kim Min-jae played in so many matches that he could hardly afford to overuse himself. However, as Upamecano suffered from frequent injuries and Kim Min-jae repeated his slump after the Asian Cup, the two received a lot of criticism. Eventually, Matthijs Duricht and Eric Dier emerged as the main center-back duo. Tuchel appointed the Duricht-Dier duo, who defended the box statically and displayed classical defense, instead of Kim Min-jae and Upamecano, who displayed aggressive defense.
However, the atmosphere changed with the new appointment of Bang Sang Kompany, who emphasized aggressive soccer. The slow Diricht was sent to Manchester United altogether. Dyer also stepped down to the bench. Coach Kompany emphasizes raising the line and playing, and he is using Kim Min-jae and Uphamecano, who have a lot of speed and activity. Of course, mistakes were made in the opening match against Wolfsburg, and they showed signs of anxiety, but the combination of the two players has been getting better and better since then. In particular, Kim Min-jae has regained his form in Naples and is showing more power. 먹튀검증
Kompany is bringing out the two players’ performances with detailed guidance. Kompany explained to the players, “Kompany explains in much more detail what they want.” TZ delivered an article titled “How Kompany Puts Bayern’s Defense on Track,” which provided hints about Kompany’s detailed tactics. For now, Kompany prefers bold pressure with all the players, including Harry Kane. This reduced the coverage of Kompany while narrowing the gap between the defense lines. By elevating the role of build-up play, he eased the burden on the defense, and delicately instructed the center backs when to advance and retreat, and how to cover them.
Kompany also expressed satisfaction with their performances. They have been giving compliments to the two players. Kompany also showed his trust in the two center-backs, saying, “What is the mistake? We are doing well in everything as a team.” The players are the same. Joshua Kimmich also said, “They have shown great performance over the past few weeks. They have to defend large areas. They need great skills to defend large areas in the back from a position of 50 to 60 meters from the goal. They have been criticized since the match against Wolfsburg, but the coach has defended them publicly. Now they are paying it back. They have both shown great form.”
“The defense is working properly. In particular, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano showed outstanding performances. This is Bayern’s performance,” said Max Ebel, Bayern’s general manager. Unlike Tuchel, who had difficulty adapting and tactics during his somewhat eccentric style, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano are confident and displaying bold plays under Kompany. The next opponent between Kim Min-jae and Upamecano, who are playing as a solid starting center back duo, is Barcelona. Former Bayern coach Han Ji Flick and former Bayern ace striker Roberto Lewandowski are in the lineup. Barcelona is led by Spain’s Primarelli. It is expected that the two players will be able to test their power again through an away match in the European Champions League on the 24th.
