Bayern Munich: Joshua Kimmich can become midfield enforcer for Germany

It has been a turbulent week for Germany. The 2014 World Champions were knocked out of Euro 2020 after 2-0 defeat against England. After the exit from Euro 2020, ace midfielder Toni Kroos announced retirement from international football. The departure of Kroos could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich.

Kroos has been largely utilised in the deeper midfielder by Joachim Low in the German national team. Meanwhile, Kimmich was playing as a right wing-back or right-back in different systems. Even though Kimmich excelled in this role, midfield remains his favoured position.

Hansi Flick will be taking over the role of head coach of Germany from the next international break. Flick has enjoyed a lot of success with Kimmich in the last two years at Die Roten, which further enhances the possibility of nailing down the holding midfield role.

Since the focus for Germany will be shifting to next year’s World Cup in Qatar, Flick will be looking to build partnerships across the pitch. In the midfield department, Flick can deploy his first-choice midfield pairing of Kimmich and Leon Goretzka. They complement each other perfectly to give the team good chance of winning important duels in the center of the park.

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Kimmich enjoyed two productive campaigns in the Bundesliga as a right-back. He has done fairly well for Germany in a similar position. However, the German international has always persisted with the idea of playing in the midfield for club and country. Playing in the midfield allows Kimmich to have the entire game in front of him and dictate the tempo of play.

During the treble-winning campaign, Kimmich gave fine balance to Die Roten in the central midfield. His productivity in the final third did decrease, but the expansive passing range made up for it. Moreover, Kimmich also developed a habit of scoring crucial goals in big games for Rekordmeister.

It remains to be seen whether Thomas Muller will continue to play for Germany. However, the trio of Muller, Kimmich, and Goretzka in Flick’s 4-2-3-1 will be a treat to watch in the World Cup next season. Kimmich can help the team to dominate in midfield, which eventually gives the team a better chance of going deep in the competition.

Kimmich has long craved to be the leader in the center of the park for club and country. With the right coach at the helm in the German team, Kimmich 2.0 for Germany could be witnessed in the next couple of tournaments.