With the attack and midfield both excelling early on this season, most of the questions on Bayern Munich from fans and pundits alike, have been with regard to the team’s — sometimes — shaky defending.
During Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, however, the center-back duo of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae stood tall. The performance did not go unnoticed as midfielder Joshua Kimmich lauded his teammates.
“The way they’ve been playing in the past weeks is brutal. They have to defend huge spaces. You have to have a lot of quality to stand 50-60 meters away from your goal and defend the big space behind you,” Kimmich told Sport1 (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “They were criticized after the game against Wolfsburg, but the coach stood up for them in public and within the team. They’re now paying that back. Both are in outstanding form.”
Truth be told, the center-backs were rarely challenged due to an ultra-conservative game plan from Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso. That said, Upamecano and Min-jae stood tall and neutralized almost every threat coming their way.
It was an improvement, but tougher tests lie ahead. Will the upward trend continue?
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen? Then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we cover everything from the starting XI selections, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, observations from the match, and where things go from here. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
