Germany’s top soccer magazine positively evaluated Eric Dier’s performance, saying he was meeting Bayern Munich’s expectations.

“Die is reminiscent of David Alaba and Jerome Boateng. We lost 0-3 in the top-flight match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and although we can hardly find any positive points in Munich, we can say that Die is definitely living up to expectations,” Kicker said on Wednesday.

Munich lost 0-3 in the 21st round of the German Bundesliga in the 2023-24 season away to Leverkusen at Bayerena in Leverkusen, Germany on the 11th. Munich maintained its second position with 16 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses with 50 points. Leverkusen successfully widened the gap with Munich to five points with 17 wins and 4 draws and 55 points.

Dyer started the game as the central defender of the back three along with Kim Min-jae and Dayo Upamecano. He was expected to go down to the bench before the game, but coach Thomas Tuchel started Dyer. Instead, he brought down Matthijs Dericht, who started while Kim was away at the Asian Cup, to the bench.

Tuchel’s choice was a huge fiasco. Munich had one goal in the first half and two goals in the second half, which resulted in a three-goal defeat. Soccer fans pointed out Dyer’s dreadful defense as one of the reasons for the loss.

Dyer adjusted his position throughout the game by giving instructions to Kim Min-jae with his fingers. Of course, as he was a defender in the back room, he was suitable for giving instructions because he could see the stadium wide. However, another question was whether Dyer, who was classified as a non-competent player at Tottenham in terms of his ability, had the right place to give instructions to Kim Min-jae.

It would be understandable if Dyer showed good defense, but Dyer showed a very poor sense of stability, which is the most important thing. He often exposed his anxiety throughout the game.

The score was only 6.2 points based on the soccer statistics magazine Foot Mob. It was the lowest among defense players. The tackle success rate was 0 percent, and the team failed seven times in both ground and air ball competitions. According to SofaScore, the team scored 6.8 points to match Kim Min-jae’s score, but scored 17 turnovers to hand over the right to Leverkusen several times. The team scored 6.6. It was definitely not a satisfactory performance.

Kicker, however, had a different view. “Die is the center of the back three or back five system. The Englishman was instantly harmonized with Munich as soon as he joined the club. He justified his participation in three consecutive games. His performance at the stadium surprised some high-ranking officials in the club,” Die said, adding that he quickly adapted.

“Dier immediately took charge. He replaced Konrad Reimer, who was injured in the 1-0 win over Union Berlin, and led his teammates afterwards. He was one of the standout players in the recent match against Augsburg,” Dier said. “Dier organized the back four line, paid attention to the position of his teammates, and showed them where to pass. The two defensive midfielders were instructed by Dier on a regular basis, giving him a sense of stability, especially for the young Aleksander Pavlovic.”

He also praised his performance as a reminder of Alaba who once played for Munich. Kicker said, “Die is very open-minded and obedient. He seemed like Alaba who played as a central defender and kept order with loud sounds and gestures.”

“Die impressed me with his outstanding pass skills. He is the most reliable player in Munich’s defense. His passes are sharp and precise, and his mid- to long-distance passes can change the direction of the game as Boateng has shown in the past,” Boateng even mentioned.

Finally, “Surprisingly, the 0-3 loss to Leverkusen showed that Dyer is the most reliable constant in Munich’s defense right now. The player who was least responsible for the goal scene given to Leverkusen” said Dyer was not responsible for the loss against Leverkusen.

The assessment is unbelievable. Although it is a prestigious media outlet in Germany that boasts a 100-year history, it is very different from what Kim gave a poor evaluation throughout this season.

Earlier, after the end of the first half of the season, Kim Min-jae said, “The newly recruited player from Naples inevitably played as the starting center back despite his need for rest. Many people were looking for a 27-year-old center back such as transfer, military training, and recruitment for the A-team,” adding, “The light and shadow alternately appeared.” At the match against Frankfurt, he received the lowest rating with five runs scored. A week later, he said, “I received the highest rating including the first goal in the league against Stuttgart.” 스포츠중계

However, Dier, who has just joined the club, is highly acclaimed, saying that he is already meeting Munich’s expectations. The evaluation criteria, which are unknown, made soccer fans tilt their heads.