While coordinating with Upa-Ponzi, Diogo-Geheira sustained an injury, and Ito, who was doing relatively well, is also injured. In many ways, the burden and frequency of overwork for Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich) are expected to increase going forward.

Bayern Munich won 3-2 against St. Pauli in the 27th round of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 29th at 11:30 p.m. (Korea time), marking 65 points and continuing to lead the standings. This victory brings Bayern one step closer to the league title while maintaining the gap with the second-place group.

There were significant changes to the defensive line that day. Bayern's defense line has been devastated due to injuries. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is out indefinitely with a calf injury. Alphonso Davies has also suffered a serious injury with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Adding to the woes, Kim Min-jae's partner, Dayo Upamecano, is out for at least three months with a knee injury.

As a result, the injured Kim Min-jae returned prematurely to partner with Eric Dier in central defense. The best 11 for Munich included Jonas Urbig, Kim Min-jae, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Harry Kane, Leroy Sane, Dier, Michael Olise, Rafael Geheira, Konrad Laimer, and Jamal Musiala.

Ultimately, Kim Min-jae, who had not fully recovered from his injury, returned early to tackle solo defense. This is in direct contradiction to Bayern's recent policy of prioritizing player protection in coordination with national teams. In fact, following the initial release of the A national team assembly, German media reported that Kim Min-jae would return only in early April for management reasons.

In fact, Kim Min-jae had been struggling with a hamstring issue since October. Eventually, the injury worsened ahead of the March A national team gathering, preventing him from coming to Korea. Coach Hong Myung-bo expressed regret after learning about Kim Min-jae's condition, stating that there are issues with Bayern's player protection.

In Germany, it was argued that if the Korean national team was worried about Kim Min-jae, he should not have been called up since October last year, leading to a blame game. If Bayern chooses to start Kim Min-jae early in the match on the 29th, it will appear to be an inconsistent action.

Due to the team's circumstances and the lack of players to fill positions, they intend to field Kim Min-jae even at less than 100%. Bayern, which had emphasized player protection during national team calls, has argued, "We are the employers who pay the players' salaries." Bayern is also in conflict with the Canadian Soccer Association regarding Davies' injury.

Despite winning that day, Bayern felt the void in the defense significantly. Bayern's attacking power was decent, with Kane scoring in the 17th minute of the first half and Sane netting two goals in the 8th and 26th minutes of the second half.

However, the defense was problematic. In the first scene of St. Pauli, the absence of starting defenders was felt. They allowed a swift counterattack in the 26th minute of the first half. Geheira, who replaced Davies at left fullback, failed to prevent the opponent from easily delivering a cross.

Furthermore, Kim Min-jae failed to cut the ensuing situation, and Dier did not maintain the offside line correctly, allowing Elias Saad to score the equalizer comfortably. Had Upamecano been in place of Dier, it could have been a situation where a quicker response could have mitigated the goal.

In addition, Hiroki Ito, who returned to replace Geheira in the 12th minute of the second half, also activated his characteristic injury-prone mode. Ito's skills are arguably the best among Bayern's fullbacks missing Davies, yet his continuous injuries have hindered the team.

Since his debut match in February, Ito had been performing well, but he collapsed again due to his injury-prone nature. He fell to the ground in the 42nd minute of the second half, clutching his calf after attempting to change direction during a defensive play. Ultimately, he could not return, leaving Bayern to endure the remaining time with 10 players.

Bayern, trying to hold on, conceded a goal during stoppage time of the second half to an opponent's powerful counterattack, closing the gap to one goal. Although the match ended with a victory for Bayern, it was a troubling game in many ways. With the absence of key defenders and the injury-prone Ito, concerns are growing for Bayern in future matches against strong teams.

After the match, German Bild continued to criticize the defensive line. Geheira received a rating of 5, Konrad Laimer, who completely lost his mark in the first goal scene, received a 4, and Dier, who failed to mark the opponent and then looked at Kim Min-jae, also received a 4.

Kim Min-jae, on the other hand, received a rating of 3. Although he showed a good performance in individual defense, he was rated lower due to the issues with the other defenders. The concern is that the burden placed on Kim Min-jae is likely to increase significantly going forward.

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