Description
Main center back Matthijs the Licht is in poor physical condition, and coach Thomas Tuchel, who leads Munich, is also empowering Kim Min-jae to play.
Munich will play Stuttgart in the 32nd round of the Bundesliga in the 2023-2024 season at 10:30 p.m. on the 4th (Korea time) at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, Germany.
Munich is in second place (69 points) with five points ahead of Stuttgart, which is in third place (64 points). If they win the match, they will be ranked second.
German media "TZ" said that Kim Min-jae will play as the starting center back with Eric Dier in this match, anticipating Munich's starting lineup ahead of the match. The media said, "Kim Min-jae looked tired in the last match against Real, but he is likely to play instead of The Licht," expecting Kim Min-jae to start from the first half kickoff.
Manuel Neuer will wear goalkeeper gloves in the starting lineup expected by the media, while Nusair Mazrawi, Kim Min-jae, Eric Dier and Jojua Kimmich will stand from the left. Konrad Reimer and Leon Goretzka are located in the second line, and Rafael Geheiro, Thomas Müller and Matisse Tell are located in the third line. Harry Kane, who scored 35 league goals, is aiming for Stuttgart's goal at the front line.
In the background of Kim Min-jae's selection, Tuchel's remarks implied that he would start against Stuttgart despite strong criticism right after the match against Real Madrid.
Kim had his worst day as a starting center-back in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on the 1st. Munich was put at a disadvantage with a 2-2 draw at home in the first leg. Kim received a lot of criticism for playing as a pretext for two runs.
The first run came from Kim Min-jae's unique bouncing defense. Kim Min-jae left the defensive camp in the 24th minute of the first half to block Vinicius Junior, an opposing World Class striker. At this time, Real midfielder Tony Cross saw Kim Min-jae come out and poked a pass into Vinicius. Vinicius, who quickly created a one-on-one chance with the opposing goalkeeper, finished and Munich gave up the first goal.
The second run was directly related to Kim. Kim committed a foul in the 38th minute of the second half by tripping Hodrigo as if he were wrestling. The referee declared a penalty kick. Vinicius converted the penalty kick. Munich allowed the tie again with the score overturned 2-1. The match ended 2-2.
Coach Tuchel harshly criticized Kim Min-jae right after the match against Real Madrid. I wondered if there was a case where he criticized the player he coached like this.
In an interview after the match, Tuchel said, "Kim Min-jae was too greedy in defense. He should not go aggressive when defending. Then no one can help him." Some experts criticized Tuchel for failing to protect a player who made a mistake.
However, coach Tuchel changed his words two days later and voiced his protection of Kim Min-jae at a press conference ahead of the Stuttgart match on the 3rd. Regarding Kim Min-jae, he said, "We will continue to support him, and it is not appropriate to use him as a scapegoat for mistakes," and said he still trusts him. He added, "Kim Min-jae has a chance to come out of the game tomorrow," hinting at the possibility of Kim Min-jae's starting lineup. However, some analysts said that Kim Min-jae's advocacy remarks are not appropriate because the person who attacked Kim Min-jae the most was Tuchel himself, the head coach.
Tuchel is wrapping Kim again because Dier and The Licht, who played as starting center back in the second half of the year, have not completely recovered from their injuries. Tuchel said he has yet to return to training and thus cannot afford to play in this match. Another center back, Dayo Upamecano, also returned to the squad, but is not in 100 percent physical condition. Tuchel said there are likely to be two center backs that can be deployed against Stuttgart.
Kim Min-jae, who is likely to start, has to make up for it in this match. Munich is focusing on the second leg of the Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid on the 9th rather than this match. As Tuchel hopes that The Licht will return before the match against Real, if Kim Min-jae fails to make up for this match, Kim Min-jae is likely to be pushed to the bench in the second round.
BY: 스포츠토토