When Bayern Munich midfielders Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlović played one electric game together in Germany’s central midfield, questions about Joshua Kimmich’s position as a starter were always going to arise.
When Bischof and Pavlović followed up with another excellent game as a duo, it was always going to evolve into a full-fledged debate. Just do not expect Lothar Matthäus to participate in any debate over Kimmich’s starting job.
With Germany’s midfield and leadership structure under discussion
following Jürgen Klopp’s decision not to keep Kimmich for the third and fourth games, Matthäus made his position clear. For him, Kimmich remains an automatic starter for the national team.
“Jürgen Klopp has explained why he didn’t keep him for the third and fourth game. For me, Joshua Kimmich is a guaranteed starter. I’m not getting involved in the debate about whether we need him or not. Joshua Kimmich was, for me, the best outfield player in the first game in the Netherlands. He is a leader, he has experience, and he helps make teams better,” Matthäus said during an appearance on RTL (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Whatever questions exist about Kimmich’s role or position under Klopp, Matthäus believes his value goes beyond simply what he provides on the ball.
Leadership, experience, and the ability to elevate the players around him are difficult qualities to replace, especially with Klopp still figuring out his preferred Germany setup.
The debate over Kimmich is clearly not going away—but Matthäus has made it pretty clear which side of it he stands on.
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