Eric Dier (31, Bayern Munich) received a good rating despite his performance.
On the 4th (Korea time), German 'Bild' published the ratings for Bayern Munich players from their match against RB Leipzig. With Kim Min-jae (29) absent, Eric Dier was awarded 3 points.
Bayern Munich drew 3-3 with Leipzig in the away match of the 32nd round of the 2024-2025 season German Bundesliga held on the 3rd at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany. They could have secured the league title with a win, but had to postpone the opportunity due to a late goal.
On that day, Bayern was missing key players Harry Kane and Kim Min-jae. Kane was sidelined due to accumulated yellow cards, while Kim Min-jae was excluded from the squad due to Achilles tendon pain. Eric Dier and Josip Stanišić took charge of central defense, but it was not enough to fill the void left by Kim Min-jae.
In the 11th minute of the first half, Dier was outpaced by the speedy Benjamin Sesko during a counterattack and allowed a solo break, conceding the opening goal. In the 39th minute, during the header scoring process by Lukas Klostermann, the lack of defensive focus was regretful.
Bayern then succeeded in turning the score around to 3-2 with consecutive goals from Dier, Michael Olise, and Leroy Sané, but in stoppage time of the second half, they conceded an equalizer to Yusuf Poulsen and missed the chance for victory.
Ultimately, the collapse of the defense hindered Bayern's early title consolidation. Bild awarded Dier 3 points and Stanišić, who played instead of Kim Min-jae, 4 points. In the German media's rating system, 1 point is the highest and 6 points the lowest, so Dier's 3 points indicate an average assessment. On this day, goalkeeper Jonas Urbig received 3 points despite conceding 3 goals, but criticism followed regarding the overall defensive combination.
Dier played the full match, recording a pass success rate of 88% (74/84), 98 ball touches, 7 passes in the attacking zone, 1 successful tackle, 8 clearances, and 3 ball recoveries, yet he couldn't stop the opposing attack. Although he scored one goal, failing to fully perform his primary defensive role is a mark against him. However, Dier received a decent rating of 3 points due to the goal despite conceding 3.
In fact, the defensive core of Bayern is Kim Min-jae. He has established himself as a key center back alongside Dayot Upamecano and has consistently maintained a top average rating within the team according to Bild. The game highlighted his absence, which directly led to conceding goals, thus emphasizing Kim Min-jae's presence.
Offensively, with Kane absent, Sané was active with 1 goal and 1 assist. Additionally, Olise assisted Dier's consolation goal from a free kick and also scored to lay the groundwork for the comeback. However, the overall defensive instability of the team in the absence of Kim Min-jae continues to be a weakness for Bayern.
Bayern currently maintains a 9-point lead over 2nd placed Bayer Leverkusen (67 points) with 76 points. They are mathematically favored to win the title due to a goal difference of 30 goals, but the official confirmation has been postponed to the next round. If Kim Min-jae returns, a more stable defensive line is anticipated in Bayern's last 2 matches.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae is on the verge of securing his first Bundesliga title since joining Bayern, and 'King of Inactivity' Harry Kane is also challenging for his first title in his career. The absence revealed in this match proves that he is not just a rotational asset but a key piece of the team's defense.
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