Kim Min-jae
Early on, possibly because of the partially shuffled starting lineup, with Nicolas Jackson up top and youngster Lennart Karl on the right wing (both getting their first starts in the Bundesliga), the Bavarian attack struggled to be cohesive. Whilst Bayern struggled for offensive efficiency, Hoffenheim looked more threatening going forward. However, the brave hosts were held at bay in the first half largely due to the defensive efforts of Kim Min-jae.
As part of Kompany’s squad rotation, the 28-year-old South Korean got the start in place of Dayot Upamecano alongside Jonathan Tah in the heart of the defense, and he didn’t disappoint his coach. On numerous occasions during his time on the pitch, he was the one seen making the last-ditch tackle or clearance to snuff out the Hoffenheim threat. Unfortunately for Kim and Bayern, he became another addition to the team’s already long injury list after 69 minutes of action and was replaced by Dayot Upamecano.
In addition to being the best defender on the pitch up until coming off due to injury, Kim was also safe and sensible in possession as he found a teammate with 94% of his passes (59/63). Following on from his solid second-half performance on Wednesday against Chelsea, Kim delivered a solid performance on Saturday to give Kompany food for thought about his selection choices in central defense.