Lead: Debate Over Bayern Star
Headline 1: “Premature”: Bierhoff warns against dangerous Kimmich debate
Subheading 2: Is Kimmich Suddenly Under Pressure? Bierhoff Stands Firmly Behind Bayern Star
Headline 3: After DFB Win Without Kimmich: Bierhoff Warns Against Jumping to Conclusions
Meta Description:
The discussion surrounding Joshua Kimmich and his role on the German national team continues to gain momentum. Ironically, following the change in both DFB squads, Jürgen Klopp’s team secured its first victory under the new national team coach with a 2-0 win over Serbia.
The young midfield, featuring Bayern pros Aleksandar Pavlovic and Tom Bischof, was particularly impressive. This quickly raised the question of whether Germany might actually perform better without Kimmich in the center.
Klopp himself doesn’t think much of this debate. Oliver Bierhoff is now also warning against drawing hasty conclusions about the DFB captain’s future based on the successful performance against Serbia.
Bierhoff Warns Against Hasty Judgment on Kimmich
On the BILD program “Die Lage der Liga,” the former DFB managing director put the discussion into perspective. Bierhoff generally understands that the victory over Serbia has raised additional questions surrounding Kimmich.
“The victory has naturally fueled the public debate. It’s absolutely positive that a young core is playing so freely. But to use that as a basis for a general question about starting spots is premature,” warned the 58-year-old.
In fact, the circumstances in the first three matches under Klopp were different. With Kimmich in the lineup, Germany drew 1–1 against the Netherlands in their opener and then lost 0–1 to Greece. After the lineup change, the team finally secured its first victory against Serbia.
The fact that Bischof and Pavlovic impressed in the center of the field undoubtedly intensifies the competition. For Bierhoff, however, this by no means means that Kimmich suddenly has to fear for his starting status.
“Internally, there’s no disagreement on this.”
For Bierhoff, the most important factor is how Klopp himself handles the discussion. The national team coach had already made it clear after the Serbia game that he did not want Pavlovic and Bischof’s strong performance to turn into a story against Kimmich.
“Jürgen Klopp’s reaction says it all. He didn’t get drawn into this crisis that was hyped up from the outside, and in the same breath emphasized that Joshua is an absolutely key player for him. Internally, there’s no disagreement on this,” Bierhoff explained.
Klopp himself had recently reiterated the depth of his midfield: “You need different types of players: you need leaders, you need players who run a lot, you need all kinds of players. Fortunately, we have more than just three good midfielders. Just imagine if we only had three. No one who’s good needs to worry about anything here.”
In doing so, Klopp is trying to turn the supposed “Kimmich question” into an open competition for several positions. Pavlovic and Bischof have given themselves a new case with their performances. However, that doesn’t necessarily have to come at the captain’s expense.
Rather, Klopp’s challenge will be to integrate Kimmich in a way that allows his qualities to shine. In any case, the national team coach has so far left no doubt about Kimmich’s fundamental importance to the DFB squad.