German media "TZ" said on the 13th (Korea Standard Time), "The Ligt does not want to remain the third option. He knows what to do, and he recognizes that Tuchel expects more from him, he said. "Tuchel doesn't really like De Ligt's play style."
In all three league games played by Bayern Munich this season, Kim Min-jae and Upamecano played as the main center backs. The Ligt, who was the undisputed main player last season, has been pushed back by recruiter Kim Min-jae amid his physical condition in the aftermath of a calf injury. Since the opening of the league, he has been substituted for all three games and played only 33 minutes.
Coach Tuchel expressed dissatisfaction with the slow build-up speed of The Ligt and the frequent cross-pass. In fact, Kim Min-jae, who took the position of The Ligt, actively attempted aggressive passes and succeeded in 30 passes per game (88% success rate) in the opponent's camp, which is better than the 21.4% success rate recorded by The Ligt last season.
On top of that, Upamecano, who showed ups and downs last season, boasts a fantastic chemistry with Kim Min-jae by "changing his mind." Coach Tuchel is not using Der Ligt as a main player because the two players are showing perfect performance. Der Ligt has to pull one of the two players down to make the main leap.
"The Ligt has to go a few steps further, but he is ready to compete," TZ said. He said, "The competition with Kim Min-jae and Upamecano is excellent," adding, "The board highly appreciates this mentality of The Ligt."
Der Ligt, who is struggling to regain his starting position, is expected to be given his first chance to start this week. Upamecano, who was transferred to the French national team, was injured, making it unclear whether he will play in the upcoming match against Leverkusen. Bayern Munich's central defender Depp is thin, so Der Ligt is expected to join Kim Min-jae.
Der Ligt, who emerged as a top talent in Ajax, joined Juventus in 2019 and started his big league career. After completing the big league verification in Serie A, he entered the Bundesliga in the summer of 2022 with 70 million euros (about 99.9 billion won), the third-largest transfer fee in Bayern Munich history.
