We might see a Korean and a Japanese player playing center back for Bayern Munich.

The Bundesliga’s official website predicted Munich’s best 11 for next season with the question, “What lineup will the Bavarians field under Vincent Kompany?”

The formation was 4-4-2, with Harry Kane, Leroy Sane, Jamal Musial, João Palinha, Joshua Kimmich, Michael Oliseh, Alfonso Davies, Hiroki Ito, Kim Min-Jae, Josip Stanisic, and Manuel Neuer.

“Kim Min-Jae, Dayo Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier have all made double-digit starts in the Bundesliga. The position Thomas Tuchel was least confident about was center back. “Kompany, a former center back himself, will quickly find his preferred starting combination.

“He can see a lot of himself in Kim Min-Jae and De Ligt, but if they are similar, he has to choose. And Ito, who impressed at Stuttgart, has been brought in as a left-footed option. Managers like to have a combination of left and right footed center backs. Ito can also play full-back and three-back. If Munich didn’t want to play him, they wouldn’t have signed him.”

Kim Min-jae was disappointing last season. Kim Min-jae wore a Munich jersey last season. The Bavarians already had Dayo Upamecano and De Ligt, so competition for the starting role was expected to be fierce. However, head coach Thomas Tuchel chose Kim 메이저사이트 as his starter. Kim and Upamecano started up front and protected Munich’s back line.

Over time, the position changed. Eric Dier arrived in the winter transfer window, relegating Kim to a bench role. Tuchel opted for a center-back combination of Dier and De Ligt. His time on the bench increased, and when he did come on, he was underwhelming. Kim was not happy with his performance either.

Since Kompany’s arrival, Munich have been looking to strengthen their defense. The first signing was Ito. Ito is a Japanese international defender who can play both center back and full back. He’s even left-footed and has already adapted to the Bundesliga from Stuttgart. Left-footed center backs play an important role in modern soccer, so Ito should have an edge in the competition for a starting spot.

If the Bundesliga’s expectations are correct and Ito and Kim Min-jae are the main players, we could see a Korean and Japanese pairing at the mega club in Munich. In the past, we’ve seen Korean and Japanese players together in Europe, such as Hwang Hee-chan and Minamino, Park Joo-ho and Shinji Okazaki. But a center back combination is a first.