No one can say they didn’t see it coming.
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany announced that Kim Min-jae will be out injured for the time being.
At the pre-match press conference before the Bundesliga clash against Union Berlin, Kompany said that Kim will “be out the next few weeks.” As many would have suspected, it has to do with his Achilles tendon, which has been a niggling pain since at least last October.
However, according to TZ’s Manuel Bonke and Philipp Kessler, the injury may not be as dire as it seems. If anything, it seems like the absence is more of a lengthy break to make sure nothing more severe happens. Should Bonke and Kessler be trusted, Kim is expected to be back for the Champions League quarterfinal tie against Inter, or the Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund in between the Inter games.
As Eric Dier has proven time and again to be a very solid backup center back, Kim’s absence for Bayern will be well covered. The only real loser here is the South Korea national team, who faces a double header against Oman and Jordan that could seal qualification to next year’s World Cup. Hong Myung-bo’s side has been struggling with defensive issues ever since the national coach took over the reins in a very questionable fashion, and Kim’s absence will not help matters as Hong attempts to placate an extremely agitated fanbase.
There is good reason to wonder if Kim’s break was strategically planned to exempt him from national team duty. It does fall at a very opportune time, with Bayern only one game away from the international break, and his supposed return in time for the big games in April only adds fuel to the fire. One can only hope that Hong doesn’t do the unthinkable and calls Kim up anyway, but recent reports have suggested that the Korean Football Association will only make a final decision depending on an official announcement from the club, as if Kompany’s words were not enough. This writer personally would not put anything past Hong and the federation, whose integrity levels are so low that they’d win any limbo contest.
Looking for thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s upcoming Bundesliga match vs. Union Berlin? Awesome, because we have you covered with the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show, which features a breakdown of the last game between the teams, a look at the rosters — including suspensions and injuries, and also a prediction on Vincent Kompany’s lineup and for the match. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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