Germany’s Bayern Munich has not won the last three games. Then, there is another atmosphere of criticism of the defense. They blame Kim Min-jae, the core of Bayern Munich’s defense.
Bayern Munich drew 3-3 against Frankfurt in the sixth round of the German Bundesliga in the 2024-25 season at Deutsche Bank Parc in Frankfurt, Germany on the 7th.
It was a rough match. Kim Min-jae scored his first goal of the season at the 15th minute of the first half, signaling a fresh start. However, he equalized to his opponent Omar Mamushi in the 22nd minute of the first half and came from behind to Oego Ekitike in the 35th minute of the first half. Bayern Munich’s Dayo Upamecano scored back-to-back goals in the 38th minute of the first half and Michael Oliz scored in the 8th minute of the second half to reverse the situation, but he conceded another goal to his opponent in the extra time of the second half. In the end, the match was a 3-3 draw.
Kim was not happy even with his first goal of the season. Kim joined Upamecano as a starter in the upcoming match. He also exposed loopholes that could collapse due to opponent team’s counterattack No. 3.
The draw prevented Bayern Munich from winning three matches. Following a 1-1 draw at 꽁머니 in the fifth round of the Bundesliga, and 0-1 loss at Aston Villa in the second round of the UEFA Champions League, the team tied Frankfurt again.
Then again, there is an atmosphere that points out problems in defense. To be precise, criticism continues against Kim Min-jae and Upamecano, who are the main players of Bayern Munich this season. It seems that Kim Min-jae and Upamecano are trying to take full responsibility for the loss.
However, there are different views. The problem is not Kim Min-jae and Upamecano, but they are colleagues who cannot support them.” In other words, they do not play cooperative defense, leaving it to only Kim Min-jae and Upamecano.
England’s “Mancity square” said, “It’s Vincent Kompany’s defensive disaster. Kompany showed off his attack and control over the game, but not his defense. In particular, his defensive weaknesses against strong teams were highlighted. Bayern Munich has very tight midfielders. There are many options for passing, occupying the ball, and being able to dominate the game. It ranks first in the Bundesliga with 66 percent of ball possession per game. The pass success rate is also 91 percent, the highest in the Bundesliga.”
However, he pointed out that he has weaknesses in defense. The media outlet analyzed, “There were losses against Leverkusen, Frankfurt, and Aston Villa. Bayern Munich’s attractive style of play has costs. Their dense midfielders often leave a gap. In particular, they exposed Bayern Munich’s defensive problems. The space behind the center-back line of Kim Min-jae and Upamecano is too wide. They have difficulty covering it despite the high speed of their center-backs. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer sometimes goes off his line to handle counterattacks.”
“When facing a strong opponent, Bayern Munich’s high press may not work. If the opposing striker has fast speed, the situation worsens. You can see an example from Marmusz in Frankfurt. Bayern Munich is struggling to defend itself against fast counterattacks. Bayern Munich allowed seven goals in its first six Bundesliga matches, while it had only two clean sheets. It also allowed three goals in two UCL matches. Bayern Munich allowed one goal for every four to five shots it allowed. Neuer’s save rate is as low as 46 percent this season,” he added.
The media offered a solution. The media emphasized, “Joshua Kimihi and Alexander Pavlovic dominate the midfielders, helping the team gain more possession. However, neither player excels at interception. The solution for a better balance is to put João Palinha in. Once Palinha is in, Kimihi can go down to right fullback and Raphael Guerreiro can go down to right fullback to form a 4-3-3 formation. Defensive support is available. However, to do this, you have to sacrifice one of Serge Gnabry, Michael Olise, and Jamal Musiala on offense.”