Michael Ballack played 98 international matches for Germany.Image: dpa / Tom Weller
Sport
The DFB team recently made a satisfactory start to the home European Championship year. Julian Nagelsmann’s team achieved two convincing victories against France and the Netherlands. The changes made by the national coach were fruitful.
Toni Kroos immediately impressed as a pacesetter in the center on his return, while debutant Maximilian Mittelstädt scored a goal on the left side of defense. And on the other hand, Joshua Kimmich accepted his new role as right-back without complaint.
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For years there have been ongoing discussions about the best position for the Bayern professional. He prefers to play in central midfield, but he hasn’t been convincing enough there in recent months. Thomas Tuchel also pulled him back into defense at the club.
DFB team: Michael Ballack names problem with Joshua Kimmich
It’s a step that Michael Ballack had called for months ago. In a conversation with “Kicker” he now felt confirmed. “But that has nothing to do with Kimmich’s quality,” the ex-professional initially defended the 29-year-old.
His subsequent words read all the more critically. Accordingly, Kimmich had to be moved out of the center “because I never saw a constellation either at FC Bayern or in the national team in which his weaknesses in this position were addressed and his strengths highlighted.”
Although Toni Kroos also has his weaknesses, “namely in backward movement”, in his case the problem of the lack of balance could be solved by a defensive-minded six like Robert Andrich or Pascal Groß. “With Kimmich it wasn’t so clear who actually suited him.”
The fact that Thomas Tuchel discussed this in the summer was interpreted critically by the Bayern coach. Some experts said that he denied Kimmich’s quality. “That was nonsense,” said Ballack and praised Tuchel: “He recognized it early on.”
Kimmich’s reticence annoys Ballack
As sensible as the 98-time German international finds Kimmich’s repositioning, there is one aspect that bothers him about the issue. We are also discussing whether Kimmich identifies with his new role because he communicated too little and endured too much.
Ballack would have liked Germany’s number six to “act a little more offensively than just saying: I’ll play where the coach puts me.”
Julian Nagelsmann, on the other hand, should be very happy at the moment that he has a right-back who is at the service of the team. Because even without loud, public announcements, it is well known: Joshua Kimmich would prefer to play on the six. In the national team as well as at FC Bayern.
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2024-04-08 12:19:09
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