FC Bayern’s 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt made former Munich midfielder Mario Basler clearly aware of the German record champions’ major defensive problems this season.
FC Bayern simply has “too few defensive players,” points out former national player Mario Basler in his podcast “Basler ballert”. The Palatinate player didn’t spare his criticism when it came to one player: France’s national player Dayot Upamecano.
“Upamecano would have been out long ago if one or two central defenders were still there,” rumbled the 54-year-old: “But de Ligt is still injured. You don’t have a central defender, so he has to play.” Basler said: “We know that he is also a threat to his own goal. That’s not a big surprise.”
According to Basler, the 25-year-old showed “world-class” performances at RB Leipzig, where he was under contract between 2017 and 2021. “Then they rightly brought him to FC Bayern. But I don’t feel like I’ve seen him play well consistently over more than a season.”
Bayern’s Upamecano too “impetuous”?
Upamecano’s game is flawed and he is “always at risk of a red card because he is very impetuous in tackles.” So far, the Frenchman has been sent off three times in 180 Bundesliga games, including once with a straight red card. He also doesn’t show enough “footballing” class now, said Basler, looking at the game in Frankfurt: “He’s completely free, runs with the ball, then puts the ball eight meters too far forward. That’s how you get the fourth :1.”
According to Basler, his partner Min-jae Kim, who was named the best defender in Serie A last season, is currently “out of shape”.
Since the Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt is still suffering from an inner ligament injury in his knee, head coach Thomas Tuchel has recently been left with no alternatives. At times, midfielder Leon Goretzka had to help out in defense.