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With Kim Min-jae rested due to injury, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer maintained his team's unbeaten streak with a super save.

Bayern Munich drew 0-0 with Copenhagen in the fifth Group A match of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League UCL at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, at 5 a.m. on the 30th. As a result, Munich ranks first in the group with four wins and one draw 13 points, and Copenhagen ranks second in the group with one win, two draws and two losses five points.

As a result, the fight for second place in Group A has turned into a mud fight. First of all, Copenhagen is the most advantageous team. Copenhagen are in second place in the group with five points and will bring Galatasaray home on the 13th. On the other hand, fourth-place Manchester United are in a situation where they must expect both teams to draw after winning the sixth game against Munich with four points.

Munich was expected to turn a partial rotation because they confirmed the top spot in the group regardless of the results of the remaining two games. In addition, rotation was inevitable due to the overuse of physical strength and injuries of some players. First of all, Kim Min-jae did not appear at the training session ahead of the match against Copenhagen.

Germany's "SPOX" said on the 29th, "Coach Tuchel is worried about defense once again before the game. The reason is that Kim Min-jae is on the verge of not being able to participate. He did not participate in training on the 27th and 28th. "After a difficult A-match period, he looked tired against Cologne last time," he explained.

German media predicted that Kim Min-jae would take a break."Barbarian Football" also said, "Coach Thomas Tuchel had the opportunity to rest some key players in terms of rotation. According to "Bild," Kim Min-jae was excluded from training and it is questionable whether he will play or not, he explained the possibility of a break.

The big problem is that there is no alternative. The media said, "Dericht will probably be out for the rest of the year. In addition, Nusair Mazraoui, who can play in central defense, also missed the training on the 28th. Therefore, Leon Goretzka can go down from midfielder to defense," he said.

In fact, Kim Min-jae was excluded from the list at all due to a hip contusion. As expected by local media, Goretzka formed a defensive line by pairing with Dayo Upamecano instead of Kim Min-jae. Munich launched a 4-2-3-1 formation. Goalkeepers Harry Kane, Mattisel, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman, Raphael Guerreiro, Joshua Kimmich, Alfonso Davis, Upamecano, Goretzka, Konrad Reimer and Manuel Neuer started.

Young players' faces were also seen on the candidate list. Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Frans Krajczyk, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Daniel Peretz, Buna Sarr and Sven Ulaihi started on the bench. Kim Min-jae's name could not be seen.

Copenhagen prepared for a 4-3-2-1 formation. Viktor Claesson, Mohamed Elionoussi, Rooney Vardaji, Lucas Leraher, Rasmus Polk, Diogo Gonsauves, Kevin Diggs, Nikolai Boyleisen, Denis Babro, Elias Yelert and Camille Grabara started.

Kim Min-jae was able to break the overwork cycle of starting 15 consecutive games as he took a break on the day. Kim Min-jae started 15 consecutive games after moving to Munich and continued to play. Kim Min-jae, who wore a Munich uniform last summer, played as a substitute in the second half of the DFL-Super Cup against Leipzig, his debut. Since then, all but one game has been started and most of them have played full-time.

He has played 24 games in all competitions this season. He played 12 Bundesliga matches, 4 UEFA UCL matches, 1 DFB-Pokal match, 1 DFL-Super Cup match and 6 Taegeuk mark. During the season, I was able to take a break in just two games, including that day's game.

There's a reason. This is because Munich's center back resources are extremely scarce. Munich started the season with just three centre-backs this season. Including Kim Min-jae, Upamecano and DeRicht are all there is. All three center backs are world-class defenders, but it was difficult for the three to play a tight schedule in the first place.

In the case of big clubs such as Munich, they play as few as 50 games to as many as 60 games in a season. Therefore, the role of rotation resources is as important as the main players. But Munich overlooked this. In the transfer market last summer, Josip Stanisic was suddenly sent to Leverkusen on loan. On top of that, there are only three center backs left as they are transferred to Bangjamain Pavard.

If even one person was injured, it would have been a bad news. However, bad news became a reality for Munich from the beginning of the season. Kim Min-jae and Upamecano mainly formed a defensive line as De Licht failed to recover his normal condition due to an injury early in the season.

Under these circumstances, Upamecano collapsed. He was substituted for Freiburg in October. The injury was so severe that he dropped out of the French national team in October. De Licht collapsed again shortly after returning from injury.

The situation was very serious. "De Licht suffered an MCL injury internal ligament and a capsule injury in his right knee," said Fabrizio Romano, a European football news reporter. According to Bild, De Licht will be out for four to six weeks.

Fortunately, Upamecano filled the gap with his return. As such, Upamecano and De Ligt took some rest due to injuries during the season. However, during that period, Kim Min-jae was not given any rest. We're in a situation where we have to continue to lead the team's defense.

Germany's "Sport 1" even worried. "Kim Min-jae has a busy schedule even during the A-match period. There will be matches against China in Singapore on the 16th and Shenzhen, China on the 21st. And in less than 80 hours, he will return to the game against Cologne on the evening of the 25th. If you add all the travel distances, it will be about 20,000 kilometers," he said, even worried.

However, Kim Min-jae says he doesn't care. When asked about the recent controversy over abuse in the mixed zone after the showdown with Singapore on the 16th, Kim Min-jae said, "I think I told you last time, but I think it's better to run than not to run." He also dismissed the controversy, saying, "You have to run while managing how you can maintain your concentration without breaking it."

But it was too much. In the end, Kim Min-jae was given a break against Copenhagen. There was also a possibility that Goretzka could replace Kim Min-jae before the winter break, as he finished the game without a big mistake.

Munich's next schedule will be a showdown in the 13th round of the Bundesliga against Union Berlin on the 2nd of next month. Berlin, which made a splash last season, has been replaced by a manager as it has been sluggish this season. There is a possibility that Kim Min-jae will be rested for two consecutive games because the power gap is so large that he has fallen to 17th place in the Bundesliga.

After that, you can get another break during your schedule. Munich will face Eintracht Frankfurt on the 9th after the match against Berlin. Even if Kim Min-jae plays in this game, he can rest again on the next schedule. This is because it is the sixth round of the UEFA UCL against Manchester United. Munich is located at the top of the group, so there is a possibility of rotation. After that, Munich will meet Stuttgart December 18 and Wolfsburg December 21 in succession and begin the winter break.

It is highly likely to be a honey break for Kim Min-jae. If the Bundesliga enters the winter break, Kim Min-jae can have time to recharge. After that, it is expected to be able to prepare for the upcoming 2023 Asian Football Confederation AFC Qatar Asian Cup.

Munich, meanwhile, had a tedious draw with Copenhagen.Munich led the attack but failed to capitalize on the opportunity. In the 14th minute of the first half, the ball that Mueller returned to the header from the right side was delivered to Tell, but the shot was strong and high. In the 23rd minute of the first half, he aimed for the goal with a weight shot with a ball that flowed backward from a corner kick attack, but it fell off the side.

Copenhagen has not just backed down.In the 27th minute of the first half, Clyson gently pushed the pass sent from the back at once. Leraher caught it and sent it to the side. Balaji finished with his left foot, but he slightly missed the goal.

Munich swallowed its regret. In the 30th minute of the first half, Reimer's cross from the right side was sent to the center by Tell at the par post to match his head. Mueller made a free header at the gate, but the goalkeeper managed to prevent it. In the end, neither team scored and finished 0-0 in the first half.

Both teams sought to change the atmosphere by replacing them. In the 15th minute of the second half, Vardaji and Claesson were excluded, and Elias Ashri and Ori Oskarthorn were put in. Munich took out Coman, Guerreiro and Tell in the 19th minute of the second half, and Leroy Sane, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Serge Gnabry were deployed.

Copenhagen took a breather. In the 39th minute of the second half, Mueller fell behind while shooting in the penalty box. The referee communicated with the VAR office, but no penalty was declared. Munich gave the young player a chance. Frans Krajczyk replaced Davis on the ground in the 41st minute of the second half.

Copenhagen hit the ground. Elionoussi headered a cross that came up in the 42nd minute of the second half, but Neuer blocked it. Elionoussi shot the second ball again, but Neuer stopped it again. Five minutes of extra time was given in the second half.

Munich took the opportunity. In the 3rd minute of extra time in the second half, the ball to Kratzik bounced wide from the right side. The ball hit Ankersen's arm while defending it, and the referee immediately declared PK. However, I cancelled PK after on-field review. Later, at the end of the game, Copenhagen hit the ball in the hand while trying to clear the ball, but the referee did not blow a foul. Rather, the two teams were 0-0 in closing the game.

Although it could have been a little less motivated for Munich in the game, he challenged to record 18 consecutive wins in the group league. However, he did not win the game on the day, and eventually the record could not be continued anymore. Nevertheless, Munich will continue its unbeaten streak of 39 consecutive group matches.

After the end of the game, Tuchel told "DAZN," "We played better. We tried to speed up the game," he said briefly.

Captain Neuer said: "We expected Copenhagen's side to be very strong. It was difficult for us, especially in the first half. In the second half we were more active but not enough because we didn't create a clear opportunity. I learned that I have to work hard at this level," he said.