Bavarian Defense Dilemma: De Ligt Struggles to Regain Starting Spot as Kim Min-jae and Upamecano Shine

2023-09-14 06:31:33

[골닷컴] Reporter Lee Jeong-bin = Matthijs de Ligt (24), who was the core of Bayern Munich’s defense last season, was pushed to the third option. Coach Thomas Tuchel (50, Germany) is not satisfied with De Ligt’s playing style, so he is using a combination of Kim Min-jae (26) and Dayot Upamecano (24).

German media ‘TZ’ reported on the 13th (Korean time), “De Ligt does not want to remain as the third option. “He knows what to do and he recognizes that coach Tuchel expects more from him,” the report said. “Coach Tuchel does not like De Ligt’s style of play very much.”

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Kim Min-jae and Upamecano appeared as the starting center backs in all three league games played by Bayern Munich this season. De Ligt, who was the steadfast starter last season, is not in perfect condition due to a calf injury, and is being pushed out by new recruit Kim Min-jae. After the league opened, he appeared as a substitute in all three games and played only 33 minutes.

Coach Tuchel expressed dissatisfaction with De Ligt’s slow build-up speed and frequent side passes. In fact, Kim Min-jae, who took De Ligt’s place, actively attempted aggressive passes and completed 30 passes per game (success rate 88%) in the opponent’s half, which was better than De Ligt’s 21.4 passes (86% success rate) last season. It’s a record.

In addition, Upamecano, who showed ups and downs last season, has made a ‘complete transformation’ and boasts fantastic chemistry with Kim Min-jae. Because the two players are showing flawless performance, Coach Tuchel is not using De Ligt as a starting player. De Ligt will have to bring down one of the two players to advance to the starting role.

‘TZ’ said, “De Ligt needs to go a few steps further, but he is ready to compete. He commented that the competition with Kim Min-jae and Upamecano was excellent, and added, “The board of directors highly values ​​De Ligt’s mentality.”

De Ligt, who is struggling to regain his starting position, is expected to be given his first starting opportunity this week. Upamecano, who was called up to the French national team, is injured and it is unclear whether he will participate in the upcoming game once morest Leverkusen. As Bayern Munich’s central defender depth is thin, De Ligt is expected to team up with Kim Min-jae.

De Ligt, who emerged as a special talent at Ajax, joined Juventus in 2019 and began his big league career. After completing the big league verification in Serie A, he entered the Bundesliga in the summer of 2022, recording 70 million euros (approximately 99.9 billion won), the third-highest transfer fee in Bayern Munich’s history.

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