Bayern Munich: Joshua Kimmich remains on the path of greatness

Joshua Kimmich remains on track to become a modern great for Bayern Munich after a stellar season in central midfield.

After an emotionally draining game against Hoffenheim at the start of March, Bayern Munich faced a tricky game DFB Pokal game away at Schalke. They started the game on the front foot, creating dangerous chances from the word go. However, they were not able to find the back of the goal.

At the 40th minute of the game, Joshua Kimmich pounced on a second ball at the edge of the box and drilled in the net. The sweet strike from Kimmich eventually turned out to be the difference between the two sides. This goal perfectly summed up Kimmich’s season at Bavaria, delivering top performance even when things are not going in the team’s favour.

Kimmich was destined to become a key player for Die Roten after delivering promising performances under Pep Guardiola in the debut season. The German midfielder showed a great level of maturity at a very young age to excel under Guardiola. The Spaniard has praised Kimmich for showing great hunger and desire to learn in training every day. Guardiola’s passionate conversation with Kimmich on the pitch in 2016 is a sight that every Bayern fan remembers.

After Guardiola’s departure, Kimmich had a tough time he struggled to get regular playing time during Carlo Ancelotti’s first season at the club. The German was deployed in midfield, but he was not playing every game. Reports were suggesting that Kimmich may look for a move away from Bavaria, but the club was adamant about keeping him.

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However, Philipp Lahm‘s retirement at the end of the 2016/7 campaign opened the door of the first team for Kimmich. He was considered as the perfect heir of Lahm’s throne. For the next two seasons, Kimmich excelled in the right-back position. He was one of the most productive full-backs in Europe, creating chances for fun in the final third.

Despite tasting success in the right-back position, Kimmich was always wanted to excel in a midfield role for Bayern. It was a big dilemma for Die Roten as there was no better right-back than Kimmich in the squad., making it difficult for Niko Kovac and Ancelotti to fulfill the German international’s wish.

Benjamin Pavard arrived in Bavaria last summer to bolster the defense. The Frenchman arrival opened the possibility of Kimmich playing in number six role. Pavard seamlessly slotted in the right-back role while the German got the chance to shine in midfield.

Kimmich took no time to settle at all in this new role. His desire to become a world-class midfielder showed in his consistent performances throughout the campaign. The starting XI also looked much more balanced with him anchoring the midfield. He dictates the tempo of the game and also comes up with goals in big games.

The German midfielder’s availability is one of the biggest strengths as he has an excellent injury record. Playing so many games on a stretch hardly affects his performances as you can expect at least a 7/10 performance from him every weekend.

More importantly, Kimmich has been a leader on the pitch. He epitomizes perfect warrior type midfield player who shows passion and ready to go to any extent to win the game. Kimmich has previously admitted that he wants to wear the armband at Bayern. I can surely see him becoming the captain sooner rather than later as he continues to go from strength to strength on and off the pitch.

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It has been a remarkable journey for Kimmich at Bayern till now. The club will expect him to get even better as the prime years of his career are ahead of him. It has been a pleasure watching him play in the Bavarian shirt now. More is yet to come from Kimmich as he remains on track to become a Bayern great.