Joshua Kimmich experienced an evening of light and shade in FC Bayern’s 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon – and still made some of the most remarkable statements after the final whistle. The only goal conceded was the result of an unfortunate own goal by the 30-year-old, who deflected a sharp cross from João Simoes into his own net. But Kimmich took the scene with humour
„I’ve never scored an own goal before? Really? I wasn’t even aware of that. It’s crazy,“ he said on Sky, laughing off the faux pas. Much more important for him anyway was the fifth win in the sixth Champions League game, which keeps FC Bayern firmly in sight of direct qualification for the round of 16
„Not having to turn the loop“
Kimmich recalled last February, when Bayern had to play Celtic twice and Leverkusen once in a short space of time – a phase that he found extremely exhausting. „It would be important if we didn’t have to turn the loop. I still have last February in my head, when we had to play Celtic, Leverkusen, Celtic, that was intense. We got through by the skin of our teeth, played a bad away game. That’s exhausting, we want to avoid that.“
Munich are therefore determined to secure a place in the top eight in the remaining league games in order to avoid the additional play-off games. For Kimmich, one thing is clear: every game less at this stage of the season makes a difference
Kimmich on the load debate: „Other countries are much more challenged“
Things got interesting when Kimmich was asked about the general discussion about too many games in professional soccer. His answer was surprisingly clear: „There’s a lot of talk about pressure, but we Germans don’t have much of a say.“
He points to structural differences: „We only have 18 clubs in the league, other countries have more, they might even have a second cup. So nobody in the Bundesliga can complain about too many games.“
Kimmich thus emphasizes that the burden in England, Spain or France is significantly higher due to more league matches and additional cup competitions. German soccer must – according to his message – conduct the debate in a realistic context.
