In a team sport, it is not logical to attribute the merit exclusively to two footballers. But, on this occasion, it is necessary to highlight the wall that Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min Jae have built in the axis of the defense of a Bayern Munich that has seven consecutive games without conceding.
Since they were thrashed during their visit to FC Barcelona, the performance that this duo has been offering is extraordinary and last night it was confirmed against a PSG that did not even tickle them. Kim was even able to reaffirm it with the winning goal. A constant during these last seven games in which the best news for Bayern is that Manuel Neuer has not had to appear because they have barely generated 2.5 xG (expected goals).
I watched the first week’s training and it wasn’t fun for our forwards.
Vincent Kompany, Bayern coach
“I saw the first week’s training and it wasn’t fun for our forwards. Then performance always comes with a little confidence and time,” he noted about his center back pair.
Recovered for the cause
It should be remembered that, with Thomas Tuchel, both ended up condemned to the bench during the second part of last season in favor of Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier. However, Vincent Kompany was fully aware of the need to recover his best version to put his risky model into practice and, to date, only Joshua Kimmich has played more minutes in this Bayern team than Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min Jae.
Players with the most appearances in Bayern 2024-25:
1.) Kimmich: 1,620′
2.) Kim: 1,521′
3.) Upamecano: 1,517′
4.) Neuer: 1,485′
5.) Kane: 1,455′
Max Eberl, Bavarian sports director, responded to this situation recently: “We made decisions in the summer and we knew that in Min Jae and Dayot Upamecano we had two fighters. They are returning the trust they have felt from us on the field.”
They are returning the trust they have felt in us on the field
Max Eberl, Bayern sporting director
Two aggressive centre-backs with a preference for defending forward who, surprisingly, are beginning to complement each other quite well to keep the danger away from their goal. Proof of this is that they have turned a team that exposes itself as much as Bayern Munich into the group with the fewest clearances made in its own area (23) and the most completed tackles in the rival third (23) in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. League.
Bayern Munich radar in Bundesliga and ChampionsDRIBLAB
They, of course, understand each other: “When I played in China, I paid a lot of attention to Upamecano. I love his profile as a defender and I am delighted to play with Dayot,” Kim noted last night. The Frenchman, for his part, thanked Kompany for his involvement in his development: “He has helped me a lot to progress. I feel like I have improved a lot compared to last season.”
His teammates also trust what they have behind them: “It’s not easy to defend with so much space behind them. But they are fast and strong in duels. Kim has improved a lot with the ball and Upamecano has improved in his positioning,” Kimmich noted recently.
Kim has improved a lot with the ball and Upamecano in his positioning
Joshua Kimmich, Bayern player
Obviously, no one is aware that these are two central defenders with a certain tendency to error. But, if they manage to continue this level of concentration, Bayern will be much closer to solving many of the problems that have been condemning them. Kompany has a clear recipe: “We have energy and personality. We just had to work. As a defender, you need 10 or 15 games to assess their level. We must continue working to improve.”
