Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel has given a blunt critique of Kim Min-jae. But now he’s even more tired.
Bayern Munich lost 1-2 against FC Saarbrücken (3. Bundesliga) in the second round (round of 32) of the German Football Federation (DFB) Pokal Cup at the Ludwigsparkstadion in Saarbrücken, Germany on Sunday (Feb. 2).
This is the second consecutive season that Munich has been knocked out of the Pokal Cup. The Bavarians also missed out on the title last season, losing 1-2 to Freiburg in the quarterfinals. This time, they were knocked out even earlier by a third-division team.
What’s more, it’s the first time Munich has lost to a team from Germany’s third division or lower since November 2000, when they lost on penalties to fourth division side Magdeburg. It was a repeat of the Bundesliga champions’ 23-year ignominy.
With a clear power differential, Munich took the lead in the 16th minute through Thomas Muller. However, in the 18th minute, Matthias Der Licht, who started in central defense alongside Kim Min-Jae, was forced off with an injury. He suffered a collapsed right knee.
In the midst of this, Kim Min-jae, who was virtually alone at the back, made a fatal mistake. In first-half stoppage time, Kim Min-jae’s short pass to Krajic in front of him lost the ball under pressure from the opposition.
Eventually, Boeder drove into the box and slipped a pass to Patrick Zontheimer, who was rushing in behind him. Zontheimer had no trouble finishing the ball into the back of the net for the equalizer. Kim tried to make up for his mistake with a tackle, but to no avail.
Tuchel had a sobering assessment of Kim’s mistake.
“It was obviously not a good decision to pass to Kretzig, who was under full pressure,” Tuchel said in an interview published on Sporx. “Kretzig went down and he had a 50-50 contest, and he could have stood up and pushed him away,” he said, directly criticizing Kim by name.
It’s understandable for Tuchel to be unhappy about the loss, especially since it came against a team from the third division. However, publicly criticizing a player’s mistake by talking about the specifics of the goal could have a negative impact on team morale. 아톰카지노 도메인
It’s a clear case of blaming the player for everything.
Kim Min-jae has been playing the most demanding schedule of the season.
He has started all nine Bundesliga games and all three UEFA Champions League group stage matches since the start of the season. In addition, he played four A-match matches in September and October.
And last month, he traveled to South Korea for a long flight. It’s no wonder he’s physically exhausted. In recent matches, Kim’s sprinting speed has dropped compared to normal. His facial expressions and posture also show signs of exhaustion.
“This happens to us too often,” Tuchel said, emphasizing that “we take risks when we don’t need to,” and that “we still kick too long when we should be playing diagonally.”
Tuchel, who is simply pointing to the performance of the defense as the problem, has no choice but to make frustrating decisions in the future.
Given the team’s situation, Kim Min-jae cannot be rested. Dayo Upamecano and Matthias Der Licht are both injured, so Kim has to start.
The departure of Benjamin Pavard has put a lot of pressure on the remaining players, especially on the injury-free Kim Min-jae.
In this match, Der Licht was substituted early in the first half, leaving Kim to hold down the fort in what was effectively a “one-back” defense. It is difficult to understand the public criticism directed at a player who plays in such extreme conditions. It’s not as if Tuchel is unaware of Kim’s current situation.
Tuchel has been criticized in the past for his attitude of using his players as shields if he loses a match. His attitude hasn’t changed at Bayern Munich.
To make matters worse, Kim Min-jae could make more mistakes. The pressure will be even greater if he misses Der Licht in a physically demanding situation.