Dayot Upamecano has had difficult months at Bayern Munich. At the European Championships, however, the defender is blossoming in the France jersey and showing how huge his potential is.
During a European Championship, it is not only exciting to see what happens on the pitch, but also what the consequences of this event will be. The transfer market is booming in these times, and for the scouts, a major event (including the World Cup) every two years is extremely important. They are on the lookout for discoveries, but also take a closer look at players who have already been observed. For the professionals, on the other hand, it is also a stage to present themselves to new clubs.
Upamecano: Bayern decision after the European Championship
Dayot Upamecano is apparently also part of this transfer activity. At least, immediately before the start of the European Championship, several media outlets reported that FC Bayern Munich could very well imagine selling the defender this summer. The 25-year-old is said to be on the record champions’ cut list, although the Munich team denies this exists.
Tuesday from 6 p.m. in the live ticker arrow right table, Group D arrow right
Upamecano has not yet made any specific comments on the subject. Most recently, he simply said: “It was a bit complicated in the end, but I always kept a good attitude, even though I played less. At the end of the European Championship, we will see what happens with Bayern.”
With confidence one of the “best in the world”
But does he know that Bayern apparently want to sell him, how he feels about it, whether he believes it all and what conclusions he draws from it? All of these are his own thoughts. One could now put forward the theory that his first two European Championship appearances are proof that he is unimpressed by it. Another would be that the topic spurred him on. One thing is certain: Upamecano is in top form.
After the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands, the French newspaper “L’Équipe” wrote, for example: “If he has so much self-confidence, he is one of the best in the world in his position.” “Upa” had already played well against Austria (1-0), and he is one of the main reasons why the French have not yet conceded a goal. Incidentally, the defense also remained unscathed in the immediate preparations for the European Championship, also keeping a clean sheet against Luxembourg (3-0) and Canada (0-0).
If a coach relies on him, Upamecano trumps
Upamecano’s numbers from the first two tournament games are impressive: 92 percent pass rate, all defensive duels won, eleven ball wins, six rescues (source: UEFA). While the defender was primarily seen as a candidate for the next major mistake at FC Bayern, he is reliability personified at France. That’s why he should help to successfully complete the group phase on Tuesday (June 25, 2024) against Poland (from 6 p.m. in the live radio report and in the ticker).
The strength can be explained by a very simple thing in the first approaches. Upamecano had his best time in Munich when Julian Nagelsmann was coach. The current DFB coach already knew the defender from their time together at RB Leipzig, relied on him there as well as at Bayern – and the player repaid the trust with strong performances. It is the same in the “Équipe Tricolore”, where Upamecano has been in the starting eleven in 15 of 21 possible games since the start of the 2022 World Cup and almost always played the full game.
Dier and de Ligt now have to watch Upamecano
Things have been very different at Bayern recently. In the Champions League, coach Thomas Tuchel substituted him for a single minute in the four quarter-finals and semi-finals. In the league, Upamecano has been on the bench seven times in eleven games since receiving a second yellow card against Leipzig at the end of February, and once he didn’t even make the squad. The Frenchman was allowed to show his skills again at the end of the season, primarily for rotation purposes, so that the regular players could gather strength for the Champions League.
Eric Dier and Matthijs de Ligt were the two central defenders that Tuchel relied on when the games were decisive. Dier did not make it into England’s European Championship squad, and de Ligt has spent the entire game on the bench in both matches for the Netherlands – while Upamecano is playing for France. For him, the European Championship is like a rehabilitation measure.
