Joshua Kimmich knows that Jürgen Klopp’s arrival alone will not fix Germany. The new national team coach needs his captain to help restore a team that has spent the better part of the last eight years trying to rediscover its identity.
Germany’s struggles since the 2018 World Cup have gone well beyond one disappointing tournament. The team exited the 2018 World Cup in the group stage, reached the round of 16 at Euro 2020, went out in the group stage again at the 2022 World Cup and fell to Spain in the quarterfinals
of Euro 2024.
That history has put plenty of pressure on Klopp as he takes over the national team, but Kimmich also recognizes the responsibility that comes with being Germany’s captain.
Asked by RTL/Sky, as captured by @iMiaSanMia what Klopp expects from him in the role, Kimmich made it clear that his job is about more than his individual performances.
“Performance is always expected, but I expect that of myself as well. It’s also about helping the team get back to where we belong and where the potential and talent mean we can be,” Kimmich said.
That is the challenge facing both Klopp and Kimmich. Germany has had enough talent to compete at the highest level, but the results since 2018 have not matched those expectations.
For Kimmich, helping Germany return to its previous level now means taking on a leadership role as Klopp begins his tenure. The captain will be one of the central figures tasked with helping the new coach establish a new direction for the national team.
Klopp and Kimmich cannot change what happened over the past eight years. They can, however, try to make sure Germany’s next chapter looks very different from the last one.
And that starts with getting Germany back to where Kimmich believes its talent and potential should have it.
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