The change of coach at FC Bayern also became an issue on the sidelines of the German national team’s opening victory against Peru. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka took a stand.
Initial bench press against Peru: Leon Goretzka.
IMAGO/kolbert-press
After the successful DFB start against Peru (2-0), the national team captain confirmed that Joshua Kimmich was a loyal advocate of the coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was fired from FC Bayern.
On the ZDF microphone, Kimmich was concerned, his words did the rest: “Little love, little heart,” he described both this decision and the entire business. “We have to learn to deal with that. When there’s a change of manager it’s always disappointing because it means we’ve failed players.”
But not only Kimmich broke a lance for Nagelsmann, who is probably increasingly unloved in Munich, and FCB sports director Hasan Salihamidzic had little positive to report about his relationship with the team. Kimmich’s neighbor Leon Goretzka also admitted to having been “affected” these days. The change of coach at FC Bayern “did not pass us by unnoticed”.
Goretzka: “A shock for everyone”
“It’s extreme how quickly something like this can happen in this business,” said the 28-year-old. “We maintained a very close relationship with Julian, I probably saw him more often than my family. When someone like that is no longer there, it’s a shock for everyone,” said Goretzka.
The midfielder had already posted an emotional Instagram post on Friday, in which he thanked him for working together and praised Nagelsmann as a “great person and coach”. “It is now up to us,” wrote Goretzka, “to bring your work to a successful conclusion.”
Nevertheless, the legal footer wants to “trust our club managers”, also with regard to the installation of Nagelsmann’s successor Thomas Tuchel. Sports director Salihamidzic almost contradicted Goretzka – in relation to the frequently cited critical constellation between coach and team: “I would be stupid if I contradicted my boss now,” Goretzka began. “Personally, I certainly didn’t have any cracks in relation to Julian. But I don’t know how it was with other players.”
