Bayern Munich legend Klaus Augenthaler on why Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae struggled together

All of a sudden, Thomas Tuchel’s old pairing are on the outside looking in while Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier enjoy the starts.

How fast the tables can turn.

Not long ago it looked like Matthijs de Ligt was firmly in the doghouse at Bayern Munich. All of a sudden, De Ligt and former Tottenham Hotspur man Eric Dier look like the top choice pairing — ahead of Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano, who had firmly locked down the positions for Thomas Tuchel for most of the season.

Former Bayern great Klaus Augenthaler weighed in on why the change may have been necessary.

“When Upamecano and Kim played together in central defense, you could see their individual abilities,” Augenthaler said (via @iMiaSanMia). “But they lacked what makes a good defense: the coordination. The defensive performance was much better against Lazio and Mainz. I don’t know if that’s just because of De Ligt and Dier. The team was already well equipped before. Then everyone gave it their all and saw what was possible with this team