Monster defender Kim Min-jae’s tiredness was clearly revealed. Physical fitness management seems desperately important to continue to watch his impressive performance this season.
The national soccer team had a 1-1 draw with Palestine in the sixth Group B match of the ‘2026 FIFA North-China U.S. World Cup 3rd Asian Qualifier’ held at Amman International Stadium in Jordan at 11 p.m. on the 19th (Korea time). The national team maintained its sole lead with four wins, two draws and 14 points, but it had to leave a regret by allowing the chase to second-place Iraq by three points.
The national team was shaken by a fatal mistake in defense in the early hours. In the 11th minute of the first half, Kim Min-jae made a back pass to Cho Hyun-woo, but it didn’t roll properly and Quinbar intercepted it and scored the first point. Since then, the national team wanted to win in the 16th minute of the first half, as “captain” Son Heung-min scored an equalizer immediately, but was blocked by a hard Palestinian defensive wall and eventually had to settle for one point.
After the match, Hong said, “It is regrettable that we recorded a draw. Our players did their best until the end. We had difficulties physically as we played two consecutive away games, and we saw our players getting tired in the second half of the day.”
“Monster” Kim Min-jae, who got tired in the forced army
In particular, Kim Min-jae, who was in charge of the rear full-time of the entire game in the two consecutive games in November, clearly showed his physical strength problems amid the compulsory military movement between his team and the national team.
This season, Kim Min-jae has been impressive in Bayern Munich, forming a strong central defensive line with Dayo Upamecano. With the Bundesliga going through the 10th round, Kim Min-jae has been solidly defending by starting all 10 games, and thanks to this, Munich has been unbeaten (8 wins and 2 draws) and has secured its sole lead.
Kim Min-jae is also a mainstay in the UEFA Champions League match. At the end of the fourth round of the league phase, Kim Min-jae started in all games and has been impressive.
According to the announcement by the International Sports Research Institute (CIES) under the FIFA on the 11th, Kim Min-jae was given 91.1 points out of 100 by analyzing his performance with his own indicators. This is the result of beating Juven Dias, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Eder Militão, who are considered world-class defenders.
In addition, Kim Min-jae attempted 113 passes in the fourth round of the Champions League phase against Benfica, delivering all of them to fellow players, recording a 100% pass success rate.
exposure to the limits of one’s physical strength
Even after joining the national team, Kim played full time in all games since the third preliminary round began, taking full responsibility for the team’s rear end. However, Kim’s physical strength has begun to show limitations.
He shook his head when he made a fatal defensive mistake in the match against Palestine. Since then, Kim Min-jae has worked hard to make up for the mistake, and he has added stability from the back with 89 percent pass success rate, 100 percent tackle success rate, 100 percent ground ball competition rate, and 100 percent air ball competition rate, but he has failed to turn the game around.
Last season, Kim had to face a difficult time in Munich due to such a similar situation. After drawing attention from big clubs by displaying fantastic performance for Napoli in the 2022-23 season, Kim joined Munich with a record transfer fee of 50 million euros (about 74.5 billion won), the highest ever for an Asian player.
In the early days of his arrival in Munich, Kim was trusted by then-coach Thomas Tuchel as a starting player, but had to fall due to bench resources in the second half. The reason was simple. There were also tactical problems, but physical problems hampered him. In particular, Kim Min-jae, who participated in the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup in January, started in all games except against Jordan in the semifinals, and was in charge of the back of the national team. In addition, he played both the first and second half of the tournament rounds. 먹튀검증
In the end, after the Asian Cup, Kim Min-jae lost his position in Munich and had to dedicate his main defensive position to Eric Dier. Although he played occasionally, he had to swallow his regret due to a series of exhausted physical problems and defensive mistakes.
In order not to repeat such a situation, physical fitness management is important. In the situation of the national team, which still has an important schedule, management is very urgent to show strength in the second half.
An outstanding player cannot do well in every game. He could make mistakes again. But he needs enough rest and conditioning to prevent it in advance. In order not to repeat the painful nightmare of last season, his physical fitness seems to be a must, not an option.