After a good start to the season, the situation is getting more complicated for Dayot Upamecano. Increasingly in difficulty, the French defender comes out of a calamitous performance against Bochum and doubts begin to appear…
In the family photo against Bochum in a sad 4-2 defeat, Dayot Upamecano (23) was one of the first involved in the Bavarian sinking. Taking the broth against Gerrit Holtmann, he was overwhelmed on the opener of Christopher Antwi-Adjei (14th). At the end of the first period, he was again surprised and conceded a penalty following a hand in his area. Jürgen Locadia transformed the sentence (38th). Finally, Gerrit Holtmann played him before the break with a small bridge on the right side in front of the surface and a heavy shot which lodged in the right corner of Sven Ulreich (44th). A 4-1 loss and an exit at the break in favor of Corentin Tolisso which testifies to the disastrous performance of the former Valenciennes against Bochum. Involved in three of the four goals conceded by his training, Dayot Upamecano is really in a bad dynamic.
Dayot Upamecano had started well
After the meeting, his coach Julian Nagelsmann preferred to temper the situation: “We don’t need to talk about individuals now, we didn’t do well overall.” However, Bayern Munich’s defensive problems are partly linked to the performance of Dayot Upamecano. If there is no danger in the house in the Bundesliga since the Rekormeister are leaders and have the second best defense (behind Mainz and tied with Freiburg) with 25 goals conceded in 22 matches, this is more worrying in view of the end of the season and in particular the Champions League. Until then, Dayot Upamecano responded perfectly like the entire Bavarian defense. The French played 25 matches for 1 goal and 4 offerings and adapted well in the cocoon of the Rekordmeister. Easier in his integration by the many French players in the team, but also by the presence of Julian Nagelsmann his former coach in Leipzig, he relished at the start of the season.
“I think it’s going very well. In the group, already, I had a great welcome. After that, you have to prove yourself on the field. I may have the advantage of knowing the coach, I know what he expects of me. It makes things easier. He has his style of play, as we saw in Leipzig. He wants us to play fast forward, with a lot of possession. Even as a defender, I have to be involved in the game. You have to be active, always want the ball. Defending well too, of course, and trying not to concede a goal. It’s going well so far” he explained. This was clearly felt in the results and performances of Bayern Munich, but for the past few weeks the structure has seemed more wobbly. The absence of Alphonso Davies has deported Lucas Hernandez to the left side and Niklas Süle and Dayot Upamecano are more exposed. Since 2022, Bayern Munich have played 5 matches for 2 defeats (3 wins) and 9 goals conceded. Fairly high and therefore surprising figures that continue to grow.
The series continues against Dayot Upamecano
Against Hertha Berlin (4-1) at the end of January, Dayot Upamecano had already been guilty of a big mistake at the end of the match and this had infuriated Julian Nagelsmann. “It is an absolutely avoidable goal. Why play the ball directly? If I’m 95 kilos and I’m very fast, I keep it. I keep the ball in my feet for another meter or two, I dribble and I see what happens. At some point, Jovetic has to put pressure on the goalkeeper and you can play with your teammate as a central defender. Just lay the ball down and see what the opponent comes up with. It was 4-0, we could play more calmly. It’s not like we have to chase after the score.” he explained at a press conference, overwhelmed by the inattention of his player. Able to have big weak times, Dayot Upamecano did not correct a fault he already had on the side of RB Leipzig.
At the start of the season, he also turned off the light in the German Cup during the 5-0 humiliation against Borussia Mönchengladbach. A catastrophic performance for him, but which had been absorbed by his good outings before and after this deadline. More in the hard currently, he suffered some criticism from the consultants. Former Bayern Munich striker Markus Babbel (1994-2000) explained this in particular: “I see a player who has incredible potential and who has everything to be an exceptional central defender, but who cannot handle the pressure from Bayern and seems incredibly insecure.” While Niklas Süle’s departure for Borussia Dortmund this summer has already been confirmed, the possibility of signing a central defender capable of competing with Dayot Upamecano is beginning to germinate in Bavaria. The French international (6 caps, 1 goal) will quickly have to find his best level otherwise his status will change. This Wednesday, Bayern Munich is playing against RB Salzburg in the Champions League and more than ever Dayot Upamecano will have no room for error…
Take advantage of the €200 bonus offered with the code FMUNI, to bet on a 3-0 victory for Bayern Munich against Salzburg and try to win €1,900 (odds at 9.50). Create your Unibet account today to take advantage of this exclusive Foot Transfer market offer.
