Bayern Munich: Joshua Kimmich’s immense passion catalyst to success

Uli Hoeness heaps praise on Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich.

Bayern Munich is enjoying a strong run of form under Hansi Flick. The German club is yet to lose a game in 2020, leading the Bundesliga table with a healthy margin. Joshua Kimmich is one of the key reasons behind Die Roten’s consistent performances.

The German midfielder has been deployed in the midfield position from the start of the season. He occasionally played in defense, but the majority of the campaign has seen him play in number six position. Kimmich has always insisted that he prefers playing in midfield. Finally, he got to show his qualities in this position for Die Roten.

Apart from being a consistent performer for Rekordmeister in the past few seasons, Kimmich is also becoming a leader in the squad. Niko Kovac had added Kimmich in the leadership group at the start of the 2019/20 season.

Kimmich is also not hesitant about publicly voicing his concerns about the team’s performances or what the team is lacking when they are struggling on the pitch. In a documentary on ZDF (via SportBild), Uli Hoeness insisted that Kimmich often expresses his passion with words, but tends to back the words with actions on the pitch.

"“He is loud sometimes, it is also a bit brisk. But he is not one who only has a big mouth and then delivers nothing.”“Of course he puts himself under pressure with his statements. But he is largely able and ready to fill what he demands with life and I like that.”"

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The German international has all the traits to lead the team in the future. Most importantly, his performances hardly take a dip. Even on his off days, he still manages to deliver an above-average individual performance, which is a sign of a world-class player.

Kimmich also has a fantastic injury record. The 25-year-old midfielder hardly misses games due to injuries. He can slot in any outfield position on the pitch and do a good job in that role. The game against Fortuna Dusseldorf showed Kimmich’s versatility as he operated as a number eight and center-back on different occasions in 90 minutes.

The German midfielder has the knack of coming up with goals in big games. His performances in big games this season have been remarkable. He dominated the midfield at London Stadium against Tottenham Hotspurs and scored a crucial equaliser. In a dire game against Schalke in the quarter-finals of DFB Pokal, Kimmich scored the winner. Most recently, he scored the winner in the Der Klassiker. All these instances show that Kimmich is a big game player.

Being vocal in the media about the team’s performances may prove to be counter-productive. However, such statements from a player lay down the marker in the dressing room, rallying his teammates to maintain a particular standard in the performance levels. Kimmich’s desire and passion fuels him on the pitch. In the future, those traits may help him to lead the team to multiple trophies.