Bayern Munich, the world’s greatest team, is facing a huge crisis. Kim Min-jae is now the only Munich specialist center back.
Munich announced the status of De Ligt’s injury on the official website on the 2nd (Korean time).
“De Ligt was substituted in the second round of the DFB Pokal against Saarbrücken on Wednesday night due to a knee injury in the 19th minute of the first half,” the club said.
Coach Thomas Tuchel explained, “It’s the same knee injury again. It’s a really painful area. But there’s no treatment yet.”
Munich lost 1-2 in the second round of the DFB Pokal against Saarbrücken on this day.
Munich was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Pokal Cup last season with a 1-2 loss to Freiburg, and this season they were eliminated in the second round, disappointing fans. 토토
Initially, the possibility of cancellation of this match between Munich and Saarbrücken was discussed.
This is because there have been reports that Saarbrücken’s home stadium cannot be played due to heavy rain in the area.
German media outlet Abenzeitung said, “There are growing signs that the DFB (German Football Federation) Pokal Cup match between Munich and FC Saarbrücken scheduled for Wednesday evening will be canceled.
According to the news, the committee will inspect the stadium at Ludwigspark today and cancel it in the afternoon.
It is known that a decision will be made.
This is not the responsibility of the club, but of the city of Saarbrücken, which owns the stadium,” he said, adding that there is a high possibility that the game in Munich will be canceled.
“It is currently expected to rain continuously in Saarbrücken and scattered showers are also forecast on match day,” he said. “Ludwigspark has an extremely poor pitch and several days of heavy rain have made the match currently unplayable.
There is no condition. They had no choice but to cancel the game against Dinamo Dresden scheduled for Sunday.
The lawn is currently flooded,” he said, explaining that the condition of the opposing team’s stadium where the game was scheduled was a problem.
If this game had been canceled, Kim Min-jae, who has been playing as a starting player recently, could have rested.
Kim Min-jae played full-time in the previous game against Darmstadt and played full-time in all 10 games in which he recently started.
However, contrary to reports, the game was not canceled and proceeded normally with Kim Min-jae also named to the starting list.
The home team, Saarbrücken, went 5-3-2. Tim Schreiber guarded the goal, and the back five consisted of Carlguero Rizzuto, Manuel Zeitz, Bonet Huapero, Marcel Gaus, and Fabio Di Mitchell Sánchez.
The midfield consisted of Lucas Boeder, Patrick Sontheimer, and Kasim Liebig. At the front, Tzimon Stele and Amin Naifi formed the top two.
The away team, Munich, scored 4-1-4-1. Manuel Neuer wore the goalkeeper gloves, followed by Alphonso Davis, Minjae Kim, Matthias de Ligt and Buna Sar.
In the midfield, Joshua Kimmich played in the third line, and Matisse Tell, Franz Krasic, Thomas Müller, and Leroy Sane worked together in the second line.
At the front line, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting aimed for the Saarbrücken goal.
Munich set the line high from the beginning and put pressure on Saarbrücken. Leroy Sane and Choupo-Moting continued to shake up the space behind the defense.
The first goal was also Munich’s responsibility.
Müller, who caught the ball in front of the penalty box arc in the 17th minute of the first half, attempted a mid-range shot with his right foot without any delay, and this shot was sucked into the Saarbrücken goal, successfully scoring.
After scoring, Müller did not hide his joy as he approached Tuchel and celebrated.
Bad news came immediately to Munich, which scored the first goal.
It was De Ligt’s injury. In the 19th minute of the first half, De Ligt attempted a tackle while blocking an opponent’s cross on the right side of the Munich penalty box.
After the tackle, he immediately complained of knee pain and called the medical staff.
As De Ligt complained of pain, Minjae Kim and his colleagues also came over and kept an eye on him to check for injuries.
De Ligt was ultimately unable to play further in the game after an injury and was replaced by Konrad Reimer in the 24th minute of the first half, leaving Munich to play the game without a center back other than Kim Min-jae.
Coach Tuchel formed a center back line with Kimmich and Kim Min-jae.
Munich, who allowed the score to be tied in extra time in the first half, suffered a shocking elimination by conceding a dramatic goal to opponent Marcel Gaus in extra time in the second half.
This is the first time since 2000 that they have lost in the Pokal to a third division team, two levels below.
Above all, Munich now has Kim Min-jae as its only center back resource. While De Ligt left the team today due to injury, Dayot Upamecano was also out for three weeks due to a left hamstring injury, as confirmed by Germany’s Bild magazine on the 24th of last month.
De Ligt had been out for three weeks due to a knee injury in the 5th round against Bochum on September 24, but returned in mid-October.
With both De Ligt and Upamecano leaving due to injury, Kim Min-jae was placed in an emergency situation where he had to take responsibility for Munich’s defense alone.
There is an 18-year-old promising center back named Tarek Buchman, but this player is also injured.
It is a critical situation for Munich, which has to deal with the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League schedules.
Kim Min-jae, who has continued his high-flying march to Munich this season after playing Fenerbahce (Turkiye) and Naples (Italy) since the 2021/22 season, is also proving the class at Mega Club Munich that earned him the Serie A Best Defender Award.
Above all, he has played the season steadily without any major injuries and has firmly maintained the center of the team.
Munich, which was in a situation where it was difficult to use two center backs no matter how many injuries there were, ended the game by moving Kimmich to center back, but Kimmich will not be able to play in the next league game and Der Clasiker away to Dortmund.
Kimmich was sent off in the 4th minute of the first half against Darmstadt in the 9th round and was suspended for 2 league games. Even Kimmich cannot help Minjae Kim.
This is Mega Club Munich’s biggest crisis this season.