Again, the key is communication. Criticism has been raised that Kim Min-jae 28, Bayern Munich is not the right person to lead the defense line against Giuseppe Vergomi 61, the legendary Inter Milan player.

“Inter is aiming to strengthen his defense. He is a dream player,” Italian Gazette delosport said on Tuesday.

Recently, Kim is having his biggest difficult time since entering Europe. He started all three consecutive games of Lazio, Mainz, and Darmstadt from the bench and was pushed out of the starting lineup. Instead, the Eric Dier-Matthew Licht duo is trusted by Thomas Tuchel.

This is the first time for Kim to experience this. After leaving Hyundai in Jeonbuk and moving to Beijing Guoan China in 2019, Kim busily moved around and always played as the team’s core defender. He joined Turkiye Fenerbahce in 2021 and entered the big league a year later as a member of Napoli’s team.

Serie A was also narrow for Kim. Upon his transfer, he established himself as the “blue pillar” of Naples and emerged as a world class thanks to his outstanding performance in the UEFA Champions League UCL. As a result, Napoli won Serie A title for the first time in 33 years as well, recording the smallest number of goals lost in the league.

Many big clubs who watched “The Host” Kim Min-jae’s amazing performance sent love calls. The final winner was Bayern Munich. Tuchel himself succeeded in persuading Kim Min-jae. He hugged Kim Min-jae, who stepped on the ground in Munich, and kissed the ball, and was delighted.

He didn’t need to adapt himself to Germany either. As a player who won the Serie A title, Kim immediately established himself as a key defender of Bayern Munich, and always stood by the back of his team.

Even if his partner Dayo Upamecano and The Licht alternately collapsed, Kim was able to lead the defense. Until the middle of the season, Kim played full-time in 15 consecutive games, causing controversy over overwork. There were also strong voices calling for Kim to take rest.

However, the tide started to turn. While Kim Min-jae was away for the 2023 Asian Cup, The Licht fully recovered from his injury, and Dyer, who lost his footing at Tottenham, joined the team. Before Tuchel knew it, the combination he most believed in became Dyer-The Licht.

Naturally, Kim was pushed back to the center back with three options. The current situation will not change easily. When asked about changes in the defense, Tuchel said, “Dear and The Licht won the game and worked well together. They are also well-coordinated with fullbacks and defensive midfielders. Communication between the two is going very well. There is little reason to make changes now.”

As Kim Min-jae stays on the bench, rumors are circulating that other big clubs will be aiming for him. It is not an impossible story because several teams including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City showed interest last summer. In particular, rumors of a transfer are circulating around Manchester United, which wanted Kim Min-jae the most.

Inter has also been added. Inter, which is looking for a new central defender, is making Kim Min-jae a top priority.

Currently, veteran defender Francesco Acerbi is on the verge of being suspended for 10 games. He is suspected of making racist remarks to opposing defender Joao Jejudice in the last match against Napoli.

Acervi is known to have used the word “Negro” which is offensive to him. As controversy grew, the Italian national team excluded him from the list of A matches to be convened in March. Furthermore, if he is found guilty of racism, he could be suspended for more than 10 matches. Acervi explained that he had no intention of discriminating against him, but it is unclear whether his claim will be accepted.

Inter is looking for a new defender. “Inter is seeking to strengthen its defense. Kim is a ‘dream player’,” Gazeta Dell’ Sport said. “What we need the most in the next transfer window is a new central defender. We need a real owner to lead the defense, not just a replacement.”

The No. 1 candidate was Kim Min-jae. “If Inter can choose, if there is only one defender to bring, it is Kim Min-jae,” the media outlet said. “Inter’s interest goes back to the past. Pierre Ausilio said that he had been paying attention to Kim Min-jae since he played for Fenerbahce, and when Paris Saint-Germain tried to take Milan Shkrniar in July 2022, he paid attention to Kim Min-jae.”

The fact that Kim Min-jae is having a hard time competing for the starting member position in Bayern Munich also adds to his strength. The media outlet said, “Kim Min-jae is now a Bayern player, and theoretically, he is a player that no one can break through. However, that is not the case. He has virtually lost his position in Bayern and has been criticized by the media and fans. I am not very satisfied with the current situation.”

He also mentioned the possibility of signing a new player on loan. “We will have to keep an eye on Kim Min-jae’s position for the next few weeks. Inter have no choice but to keep an eye on him as well. Bayern cannot afford to sell a player it has just signed for less than one year for 50 million euros, and we cannot rule out a option to sign him on loan.”

Bergomi, however, had a different opinion. She was a legendary defender who played for Inter from 1979 to 1999 and won six trophies, including three UEFA Cups 1990-1991, 1993-1994, 1997-1998, and one Serie A title 1988-1989. She was a teenager and also a huge contributor to Italy’s 1982 World Cup victory.

Bergomi said it would be difficult to replace Acerbi with Kim. “If you’re talking about the sweeper as the center defender of three backs, I don’t think that’s Kim’s role. He doesn’t have the character or charisma to lead the defense line. I think he’ll have a hard time. Kim has the speed and defense, but he needs different characteristics. I won’t choose him,” he said.

“In general, Kim Min-jae is trustworthy and knows our championship,” Bergomi said. “However, Inter has a different style at the back compared to Napoli,” adding, “Personally, Kim Min-jae is more suitable for right-back right stopper. However, Inter already has Bangamain Pavar and Jan Aurel Bisek.”

It is not that he underestimated Kim Min-jae, who used to be “Serie A’s best defender.” In fact, when Kim was playing for Napoli, Bergomi once praised him as a “defensive champion,” saying, “Kim Min-jae never makes mistakes. He is not better at building up than Kalidou Koulibaly, but he is more careful when it comes to defense.”

However, it is questionable whether Kim Min-jae will be able to play the role that Acervi is currently playing. “The big thing about Acervi is his attention and concentration. He never misses a match,” Bergomi said of Acervi. “Acervi is Italy’s best defender in his role as a sweeper. He plays as a four-back for the national team and as a three-back for Inter. He has no problem adjusting to the system.”

The key is whether Kim Min-jae can lead the left and right center backs as a defensive line leader. The “lack of charisma” pointed out by Bergomi is no different from doubts about Kim Min-jae’s ability to communicate.

It is in the same vein as the criticism coming out of Germany. In Germany, Kim Min-jae is picking communication as the biggest reason behind Dyer.

A legendary Bayern Munich defender said, “From a communication point of view, it is not easy for Kim. He is from Korea, and from China to Turkiye, from Turkiye to Italy, before coming to Munich last summer. He had to keep learning new languages. We should not underestimate this point,” adding, “When Uppamecano and Kim played together, I found out their personal skills. However, they lacked harmony, which is what makes them good defense.”

On the contrary, Dyer is said to be a good talker and good leader of the defense. Avent Zeitung said, “Dyer became the pillar of the team. There were doubts, but he stabilized and organized his defense. Dyer’s communication skills have had a very good impact on the team.”

In the end, Kim has to perform on the field. Although Kim has never had major problems with communication issues so far, he has no choice but to prove it with his performance if he wants to change his local evaluation. “You will be able to learn something. I have no particular complaints. I am training hard. I am confident that I will show my skills anytime,” Kim said in an interview with T-Online. 토토사이트