The long-awaited player has finally joined. This is good news for Bayern Munich, which is eager to reclaim the top spot in the German Bundesliga.

Kim Min-jae joined Bayern Munich. In January and February, Kim Min-jae was selected for the national team to participate in the Asian Cup and could not play for Bayern Munich for a while. However, the Korean national soccer team led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann immediately moved to Munich, Germany, as it lost to Jordan 0-2 in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Cup at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al Raiyan, Qatar on the 7th.

Bayern Munich released a video clip of Kim Min-jae’s training on its official social networking service on Tuesday. Kim was riding a cycle at the team’s training site. As a Bayern Munich official approached him, he greeted him with a big smile.

The timing of Kim Min-jae’s return is exquisite. On the 11th, Bayern Munich is set to play Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 21st round of the German Bundesliga. In fact, it is the final match to compete for the German Bundesliga championship.

Leverkusen has no losses this season. With 16 wins, 4 draws and 52 points, it has not missed the top spot in the German Bundesliga. Bayern Munich is closely trailing by two points. The difference in gains and losses is rather two points ahead of Leverkusen. If the points are the same, it can be ranked first.

Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga title for the past 11 consecutive seasons. It acquired Kim Min-jae and Harry Kane in summer last year, strengthening its defense capability in offense and defense. It also seemed likely that it would win 12 consecutive Bundesliga titles.

Due to Leverkusen’s unexpected rise, however, it is not easy to reclaim the top spot. Moreover, managers alternately took turns from the beginning of the season, facing a crisis.

Kim Min-jae is likely to play against Leverkusen on the 11th. Kim Min-jae did not play in the Asian Cup semifinal match against Jordan. He was warned in the first group match against Bahrain on the 15th, followed by another warning in the quarterfinals against Australia on the 3rd. According to AFC regulations, Kim Min-jae could not play in the semifinals against Jordan. Although there is a problem with jet lag, he is physically enough to play on the 11th.

Bayern Munich has been in a bad mood lately. It is because of the influx of injured. On Jan. 28, Kingsley Coman collapsed. “We will play without Kingsley Coman for the next few weeks,” Bayern Munich said. “He has a torn ligament inside his left knee.” Christophe Freund, general manager of the team, said. “Although Coman’s injury is sad news, I believe he will come back stronger. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Defender Dayo Upamecano injured his hamstring in the 13th round match of the German Bundesliga against Union Berlin in the 2023-2024 season. He was forced to sit out for several weeks.

Upamecano, who was already supporting Kim Min-jae in the absence, was injured, and the defense was on fire. Still, Bayern Munich took Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur in the winter transfer window and quickly put out the fire. Dier will be in charge of the last place of Bayern Munich, which has a hole, starting with a substitute in the second half of the match against Union Berlin.

However, Komang’s absence also left him with a hole in his attack. Komang was seriously injured in the 19th round of the German Bundesliga against Augsburg, barely playing in the first half.

In the 23rd minute of the first half, Coman, who participated in the corner kick attack, was crushed by Philippe Tietz. In this situation, Coman failed to get up on the ground even though his teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic scored a goal and everyone was celebrating.

He couldn’t even walk alone. Coman was helped off the field by medical staff and struggled to escape. Coman’s examination revealed a ruptured ligament inside the knee. Bayern Munich did not disclose specific duration of Coman’s departure. Local media in Germany believe that Coman should focus on rehabilitation at least for two months. He hopes to return by April when he will be able to win the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League.

The team has a huge gap. He was responsible for Bayern Munich’s side attacks in this season along with Leroy Sane. He has five goals and three assists in a total of 23 official matches, including three goals and three assists in 15 Bundesliga matches, and two goals in six Champions League matches. In addition to offensive points, he is very easy to use as a card that shakes the opponent team’s defense with outstanding speed and dribbling.

Coman, who made his professional debut through Paris Saint-Germain in the 2012-2013 season, has won all the cups without skipping a single season so far. Having been recognized as a winning member even if he played only one game in his first year as a debutant, he played for Juventus and continued to win the title at Bayern Munich. With his achievement of winning the league for 12 consecutive seasons, he has 26 trophies in total. As Bayern Munich has lost its fame like a winning talisman, it is worrisome.

Amid Coman’s injury, Bayern Munich faced Augsburg in a 3-2 slugfest. Indeed, it was a hard-fought victory. Leading the game with Pavlovic’s first goal, Bayern Munich made it 2-0 with a surprise mid-range shot by Alfonso Davies in the first half.

Augsburg’s pursuit was fierce in the second half. Dermedin Demirovic scored a header to catch up with Kevin Mbabu’s cross at the seventh minute of the second half. Then Bayern Munich also ran away again with Harry Kane’s finish following Sane’s cross at the 13th minute of the second half.

Bayern Munich, which had some leeway, started to solidify itself by putting in Erik Choupomoting and Thomas Müller. However, he lost to Demirovic again in the second half of extra time and sweated until the end. Bayern Munich’s 3-2 victory ended as there was not much time left.

However, Bayern Munich displayed weak defense as it had a battle with Augsburg. Dyer, who replaced Kim Min-jae, was disappointed to receive a 6.3-point rating, the lowest in his team, from “Huscoord Dotcom.”

Upamecano’s injury has left only Matthias de Ligt as the center back. Dyer, who was brought in from the transfer window this winter, was playing as the starting pitcher and hurriedly filling up the vacancy. Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel matched the formation of center back by recruiting Kim Min-jae from Upamecano and De Ligt, who have been working together since last season. To use four-back, there should be at least four center-backs, and the three were so talented that they intended to manage the season through arrangements for participation.

He overlooked the injury. Kim Min-jae and Upamecano were running constantly as The Licht failed to find their conditions until the opening of the season. Kim Min-jae, who boasts monstrous physical strength, was okay, but Upamecano often collapsed. Just in time, The Licht returned and filled the void, but Kim Min-jae’s overwork continued as he was hurt in turns. As strong Kim Min-jae was overloaded, Bayern Munich’s center back was agonizing constantly.

Dyer was brought in from the transfer window this winter. As Kim Min-jae sat out for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation Qatar Asian Cup, it was imperative to strengthen the central defender. Dyer was cold-heartedly recruited to match the numbers behind De Ligt and Upamecano. Bayern Munich did not immediately recruit him because it thought he had a sense of power because his skills were classified out of all different levels even at Tottenham Hotspur.

As soon as Dier came to Bayern Munich, he took charge of the rear. Bayern Munich’s center-back players have become shallow. Upamecano’s controversial physical condition throughout the season has turned on another red light. Upamecano’s thighs are a time bomb. In October last year, he injured his hamstring and left the battlefield for more than three weeks. It is unknown how much he will fall out again as he injured the same part again two months after returning.

Bayern Munich took a breather for now as Kim Min-jae, the built-in main center back, returned. For the time being, Kim Min-jae and De Licht will protect the main center back line. Dyer waits for a backup. Kim Min-jae’s influence in offense and defense is needed from the match against Leverkusen. 스포츠토토