This is different from former manager Thomas Tuchel, who publicly targeted players. Vincent Kompany, the Bayern Munich manager, once again embraced Kim Min-jae (29), who is suffering from overwork.

Bayern drew 2-2 with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinal second leg away match held at the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, Italy, on the 17th (Korea time).

As a result, Bayern failed to overturn the 1-2 loss in the first leg played at home, exiting with a total score of 3-4. It seemed that they were writing a comeback with Harry Kane's opening goal, but they conceded two goals in just three minutes and succumbed. Inter, who defeated Bayern, will face Barcelona in the semifinals.

Kim Min-jae started and partnered with Eric Dier. His starting status was a topic of interest even before the match. He faced intense criticism for making a mistake that led to a goal in the previous match against Borussia Dortmund and had poor physical condition, managing to participate in only one hour of training on Monday.

Nevertheless, with the defense on the brink of collapse, Bayern once again fielded Kim Min-jae as a starter. Manager Vincent Kompany set up the back line with Josip Stanisic, Kim Min-jae, Dier, and Konrad Laimer.

Dreaming of a comeback, Bayern scored the opening goal. In the 7th minute of the second half, Harry Kane took a low shot from inside the box with defenders in front of him. The ball slipped between the defenders' legs and shook the net. The aggregate score became tied at 2-2.

Inter brought the match back to square one. In the 13th minute of the second half, during a corner kick, Lautaro Martinez's header hit Joshua Kimmich and fell. Lautaro then connected it with a right-footed shot to finish. Inter regained the overall lead with an aggregate score of 3-2.

Inter scored a comeback goal. In the 16th minute of the second half, from a corner kick, Benjamin Pavard broke through the defense and scored with a powerful header. He outsmarted Laimer, who was marking him, and won the header duel against Kim Min-jae, roaring in triumph. Shortly after, Manager Kompany substituted Kim Min-jae for Raphael Guerreiro.

Bayern closed the gap to 3-4 with Dier's equalizing goal in the 31st minute of the second half. However, there was no final turnaround. In added time of the second half, Kane's header was also denied by Jan Sommer's save. Ultimately, the match ended in a 2-2 draw, and Inter became the protagonist of the semifinal with a one-goal advantage on aggregate.

After the match, Kim Min-jae was singled out as the cause of the loss. German 'Bild' gave him an unusual lowest score of 6 points, while 'Kicker' rated him at 5.

'Spox' also gave Kim Min-jae a score of 5.5 points. The media noted, "He unnecessarily left his position outside a few times and made futile attempts to win the ball. He wasn't always stable when a high long pass came to Marcus Thuram. He was partly responsible for the first goal conceded and made the same mistake on Pavard's goal. This is something that shouldn't happen to Kim Min-jae."

'TZ' also gave Kim Min-jae a score of 5 points. The media pointed out, "The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) cited Kim Min-jae as a warning case to alert about players' extreme fatigue. Nevertheless, he was included in the starting eleven again," adding, "He has been suffering from Achilles tendonitis for months and has not fully recovered from bronchitis that has troubled him recently. Of course, Kim Min-jae lacked energy and struggled in aerial duels. His passive approach in the header competition during Pavard's scoring situation was criticized."

Even Italian reporters pointed out Kim Min-jae directly. At the post-match press conference, a reporter asked Manager Kompany, "We are used to seeing a different Kim Min-jae in Italy. It seems he cannot perform like he used to at Bayern. Why is that?" Kim Min-jae led Napoli to the Serie A championship in the 2022-2023 season and was named the best defender.

However, as TZ mentioned, we must not forget that Kim Min-jae has become an icon of overwork. He has been suffering from Achilles tendonitis since October last year but has not been able to rest due to numerous injuries among his teammates. As a result, FIFPro focused on the issue, noting that "Kim Min-jae has been playing despite his Achilles tendonitis since the start of the season, which is related to overload injuries due to excessive appearances."

Also, FIFPro emphasized, "Kim Min-jae has played about 55 matches this season, alternating between his club and national team. Predictive systems suggest he could play more than 70 matches by the end of the season, which would be the highest in the world. Particularly, he tackled 20 matches during the winter, averaging just 3.7 days between games, with long-distance travel totaling up to 74,000 km."

Well aware of this, Manager Kompany dismissed all criticism aimed at Kim Min-jae. He stated, "Everyone can have their opinions, but I do not agree with that. What's important is that Kim Min-jae is going to help this team become champions this season, and he will help. Now we need to focus all our attention on winning titles."

Furthermore, Manager Kompany added, "As mentioned, Kim Min-jae has won in Italy, and now he must win in Germany as well. We have lost many players, yet we are demonstrating true unity as a team. We will continue to do so until the end of the season. I will not turn my back on anyone, and I will not enjoy this kind of controversy. That will not happen. However, if there are discussions that we need to have internally, we can have any discussion. That's how we can improve."

The situation is 180 degrees different from that of Tuchel, who worked with Kim Min-jae until last season. In May of last year, he dropped his head after conceding twice in the UCL semifinal first leg against Real Madrid. Bayern drew 2-2 after conceding a penalty kick in the dying minutes of the second half.

Afterward, Manager Tuchel publicly criticized Kim Min-jae. He said, "You shouldn't participate in the counterattack so aggressively. You can do that when the team has the ball. But as a center-back, you can't counter so freely." He added, "It's too greedy. Given the pressure situation, it's hard to predict what will happen. It's a very simple problem. No one can help him there."

He went on to talk about the penalty kick conceded, saying, "Kim Min-jae was too greedy twice. The number of defenders was high at 5 to 2. Kim Min-jae suddenly tried to unnecessarily block Rodrigo's inside warning. He was in the wrong position the moment the pass came. Dier was coming to help but committed a foul. It was too greedy. In such a situation, he should just stand still." His words were a sharp critique that surprised the fans.

The newly appointed Manager Kompany this season, unlike Manager Tuchel, does not publicly criticize players. Ahead of this match, when the subject of Kim Min-jae came up, he said, "I have already explained clearly. Conceding goals is not a problem related to one player." He added, "I will absolutely not criticize individual players. If I need to say something to a player, I will speak directly to him, and we will ensure that other team members learn from him. I believe in the team and all our players."

[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), FIFPro, Sky Sports, Bayern Munich, Transfermarkt social media.

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