‘Monster’ Kim Min-Jae (Bayern Munich) is at the center of criticism again.
Bayern Munich played Eintracht Frankfurt to a 3-3 draw in the sixth round of the 2024-2025 German Bundesliga on Sunday (Aug. 7) at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany. The draw was Bayern’s second consecutive league draw in as many games. The Bavarians remain unbeaten since the start of the season and lead the table with 14 points (4 wins, 2 draws), but have allowed second-place Leipzig (14 points) to catch up. Bayern have been in a bit of a slump, with two draws and one loss in their last three games, including the UEFA Champions League. Frankfurt are in third place with four wins, one draw, and 13 points.
Kim Min-Jae started up front again, as usual. Playing in the center with Dayo Upamecano, Kim opened the scoring in the 15th minute with his first goal of the season. From a corner kick, he received a pass from Thomas Muller and rattled the net with a right-footed shot. Kim let out a roar of joy. But he couldn’t smile after his first goal of the season, as he conceded three more.
In addition to his goal, Kim played the full game, completing 92 percent of his passes, 100 percent of his tackles, one clearance, nine ball recoveries, and three successful ball contests. He made very few mistakes. As usual, the statistical media gave him good ratings. Footmob gave Kim a rating of 7.6. This was the highest among the defense and the third highest among all players, after Oliseh (8.7) and Muller (8.6). Couch Score gave Kim Min-Jae a 7.4 rating. It was the fifth highest rating on the team.
The German media, however, had mixed reviews, mostly critical.
Aventurer Zeitung gave Kim a score of 5, the lowest on the team. ‘She scored her first goal of the season. But defensively, we were shaky. My timing was off in the second goal. In the third, he missed his timing again. He took a step backwards. Spox also gave him a 4, saying, “Kim was unlucky with the ball going to the opponent. He couldn’t save anything in the second concession either.
BayernStrike said, “It was a mixed bag for the Korean defender. He showed great judgment in the box to score Bayern’s first goal, but defensively he struggled against Frankfurt. He could have done better in preventing all three goals.
Bild, who has always had a negative attitude towards Kim Min-Jae, had no room for error today. He gave him a 4. Upamecano, Raphael Guerreiro, Aleksandar Pavlovic, and Harry Kane all scored four.
Some outlets praised him. RAN wrote: “Kim Min-jae celebrated his first goal of the season with enthusiasm. He was strong in the air and his confidence has increased,” 파워볼실시간 and gave him a 3 rating. TZ also gave a mid-range rating of 3, explaining, “Kim Min-jae did his best against Frankfurt, but sometimes the center was open and he lost the contest just before the late equalizer.
After the match,
Head coach Vincent Kompany said: “Today was a great performance from the team. We had a lot of chances. We would have deserved more. We have to keep it simple, we have to keep going, we have to go our own way. We have to have faith that such performances will bring us results. We have to stay calm and do it.”
Munich coach Max Eberle added: “We don’t have to look for many negatives today, apart from the three goals. When was the last time Bayern played six kilometers more than Frankfurt. For reference, we lost here 1-5 last year. They were the second best team in the Bundesliga and we outplayed them. The only thing we are really upset about is the result,” he said. ”Of course we play with risk. We play with an advantage and overwhelm our opponents. We have a big space at the back to defend. We need to win the contest in 50-50 situations. Against Villa, I said we should have defended better, because when you have such a big space at the back, one-on-one situations are naturally difficult for defenders.”
The match was tightly contested. Bayern lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kane was up front, with Serge Gnabry, Muller, and Michael Oliseh in the second line. Joshua Kimmich and Pavlovic formed the midfield. Alfonso Davies, Kim Min-Jae, Upamecano, and Guerreiro formed the back four. Manuel Neuer was in goal.
Bayern pushed forward early on.
After Oliseh opened the scoring in the 14th minute, Bayern took the lead a minute later through Kim Min-Jae. Frankfurt quickly equalized. In the 22nd minute, Asker Knauf’s pass found Omar Marmusch, who calmly finished past Guerreiro.
Bayern had a one-on-one opportunity on the counterattack in the 30th minute when Muller received a penetrating pass and found himself one-on-one in the box, but his shot was saved by the keeper. In the 33rd minute, Gnabry’s mid-range effort was also saved by Santos. Instead, Frankfurt scored on the counterattack. In the 35th minute, Marmusch beat Upamecano and found Hugo Wicketigue. Wyketige’s shot was straight at goal. Kim Min-jae threw himself in at the last second, but it wasn’t enough.
Bayern were not done. They equalized again. In the 38th minute, an attack from a corner kick was played into the center of the box and Oliseh’s shot beat the keeper. Upamecano pushed it back in. The first half ended 2-2.
In the second half, the game continued to be dominated by Bayern. In the second minute of the second half, Kane took a free kick in front of the penalty box, but his shot went wide. Bayern took the lead. In the eighth minute, Oliseh picked up a loose ball in the box from Kane. Oliseh calmly beat his defender and scored with a left-footed shot. Bayern continued to rattle Frankfurt. In the 11th minute, Kimmich’s shot was saved by Santos. In the 18th minute, Oliseh’s cross was met by Muller, and Kimmich’s shot from Muller’s pass went wide of the side netting.
There was an injury twist for Bayern.
Kane went down. Matthijs Teller came on. After the substitution, Bayern continued to attack. In the 32nd minute, Coman tried his luck from mid-range when his opponent was least expecting it, but this time Santos was there to make the save. Frankfurt pushed back, but Bayern held firm.
In stoppage time, Upamecano went down, bringing on Eric Dier. The change would eventually lead to a goal. Frankfurt scored a theatrical goal in stoppage time. After a header from Kim Min-Jae, Marmusch scored a dramatic equalizer. The game ended in a 3-3 draw.
After the game, Forbes had some harsh words for Kim Min-jae and the Upamecano. ‘This could be Kompany’s first crisis,’ Forbes wrote, ‘Bayern haven’t won in three games. A draw against Leverkusen and a loss to Aston Villa were followed by a draw with Frankfurt,” and ”The third conceded goal revealed Bayern’s defensive problems. In the last three games without a win, both opponents have capitalized on defensive mistakes by Kim Min-jae and Upamecano to create good chances. ‘Kompany was evasive when asked about defensive mistakes. ‘Of course, it’s better than last season, but Bayern’s defenders struggled against the opposition’s fast strikers,’ he said. ‘Marmusi is the most in-form striker in Germany right now. Teams like Aston Villa and Frankfurt have proven that teams with fast, technical strikers can be successful if they counter-attack quickly.
Frankfurt could have beaten Bayern.
Finally, Forbes concludes, ‘Neither Kim Min-Jae nor Upamecano have shown the quality to be part of the current winning formula. They need to bring in a new center back who fits the system in the winter transfer window. With Upamecano currently out for the rest of the season with a hamstring problem, the criticism of Bayern’s defense continues, and the Bavarians are once again at a crossroads in their search for a defender this winter. The Bavarians overhauled their defense last summer, letting go of Matthijs de Ligt and bringing in Hiroki Ito.
The Bavarians open the league’s seventh round at home against Stuttgart on Tuesday. They then travel to Barcelona in the Champions League.