Before the duel between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Joshua Kimmich is particularly in focus. The national player exposes himself to expectations that he can hardly live up to. Does that affect his performance?
Joshua Kimmich and the ball - a perfect match. Bayern Munich's midfield strategist constantly challenges him and is always on the move in order to be playable. But sometimes he overdoes it, holding the ball a tad too long to lure an opponent and then find a gap in front of him. In Leipzig, for example, he received the ball in his own penalty area, briefly dribbled inside and then tried to play a half-length chip ball into the center. The opponent caught it and scored to make it 1-1. Particularly bitter: Kimmich lost his duel against André Silva and went down far too easily.
The FC Bayern professional is not exactly known as someone who gives many insights into his soul. When he stands at the microphones of this football world, he usually analyzes what is currently the topic objectively and soberly. Rarely is it about himself. An exception was the lengthy discussion about his vaccination status. At that time he felt compelled to reveal his insecurity.
When it comes to sports, Kimmich usually seems focused, fearless and clear. He wants to be a leader. Someone who takes responsibility and who others can use as a guide. But that could also be his undoing. Ironically, before the landmark Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), the question arises as to whether Kimmich’s ambition is currently tending towards doggedness.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the 28-year-old said something that received far too little attention: "I'm afraid I'll fall into a hole." And further: "These failures are connected to my person." Accordingly, he is concerned. In many places these thoughts were accepted with a shrug of the shoulders. But what if Kimmich puts too much pressure on himself?
At the latest now that Manuel Neuer is being questioned at FC Bayern and also in the national team, his time could have come. In both teams he is traded as the captain of the future. However, Kimmich will not be as aggressive as Philipp Lahm was at the DFB. Various media reported that he would not engage in a power struggle with Neuer. Still, at 28, it seems appropriate to discuss it. Does that maybe do something with Kimmich?
In any case, the start of 2023 was changeable for him. On the one hand, there was this sensational goal against 1. FC Köln, which saved Bayern from defeat. On the other hand, there was this double fault in Leipzig. He also wasn't able to control his emotions recently in Wolfsburg, saw a yellow card for it and was later sent off after another foul.
Although this dismissal was debatable, the first scene in particular shows that Kimmich is seething, he is just looking for inner balance again. The opponents are increasingly on his toes because they know that he is the linchpin of the game. "There has been more and more man coverage in the last few games," he admitted to "DAZN" after the Wolfsburg game: "Of course it's difficult when you have someone behind you. Then you have few opportunities to play with to look ahead."
At VfL he only had 32 ball contacts before being sent off in the 54th minute. Not enough for someone who would otherwise like to make more than 100 contacts in 90 minutes. When Mattias Svanberg kicked him in the heels and he didn't get a free kick for it, Kimmich's collar burst. He started to push. No assault, but evidence of the frustration that has currently accumulated in the national player.
It's a somewhat paradoxical situation at the moment. On the one hand, one of his greatest strengths is his irrepressible will to succeed. "Joshua Kimmich is even more ambitious," even Oliver Kahn said on "Sky 90" in January 2021 when he was asked whether the midfielder was comparable to him: "If you watch him in training. After the Champions League - After the win he said: 'Yes, now we have to win the Champions League with spectators too.'"
But there is this other side to Kimmich, which brought out the interview at the World Cup as well as his brief emotional outburst in Wolfsburg. One that repeatedly accuses him of being too dogged. Sami Khedira, for example, pointed this out in an interview with "Sport Bild". "Sometimes he can take a little more back, play smarter, sometimes want less," said the 2014 world champion: "Like Sergio Busquets: get a little smarter tactically, don't want too much."
Kimmich can ask Kahn how fine the line is between positive ambition and negative doggedness. The titan has spoken about his burnout during his playing career and how much the pressure has been on him in recent years. The sense of entitlement, of wanting to shoulder almost all of the responsibility yourself, can lead to your own performance suffering.
Kimmich, which Khedira does not deny, is a "world-class player". At 0.34 assists per 90 minutes over the past 365 days, he has more assists than few other midfielders - particularly in defence. Kevin de Bruyne, for example, has 0.59 assists as an attacking midfielder. 5.36 Kimmich actions result in one shot per 90 minutes. This includes passing, dribbling and pulling fouls. A blocked finish that leads to another can also be scored. This puts him in the top 1 percent of all midfielders in the world.
The same is true for the number of passes played per 90 minutes (91.22) and the number of progressive passes (10.66). Kimmich is the pacesetter, game designer and extremely dangerous offensively. His chip balls behind the opposing defensive line are feared.
At the same time, the numbers ignore a problem: Defensively, Kimmich alone is not sufficient in front of the defense. With 1.82 interceptions per 90 minutes, he is an excellent pass catcher - and among the top 6 percent of all midfielders. In view of Bayern's high ball possession values, this is a top value.
However, Kimmich keeps pushing forward and coach Julian Nagelsmann demands that from him because he doesn't want to, can't do without these moments of surprise. Kimmich therefore acts more as an eight and less as a six. And at his best, he does it better than most other players in the world.
But who then secures these offensive runs? Leon Goretzka is considered a congenial partner of the Swabian native. But the former player from Bochum is far too offensively oriented to always be the perfect protection. And so, in the past, there have often been situations in which this interplay between the two led to defensive weaknesses. The calls for a new Javi Martínez grew louder. The Basque once secured Bastian Schweinsteiger defensively and helped him to unimagined consistency.
Maybe that's exactly what Kimmich needs now: a partner who takes more pressure off his shoulders. Because even with the ball too much weighs on him. If an opponent manages to take Kimmich out of the game like Wolfsburg, FC Bayern's ball forward is not only sluggish and predictable, but often far too wild.
Before the World Cup, Kimmich and his team were in excellent shape. Also because the Munich team knew how to support and relieve their strategist. Be it through the presence of Jamal Musiala in midfield or the many rotating runs up front.
That has changed. Kimmich was suspended against VfL Bochum at the weekend. Julian Nagelsmann was anything but satisfied with the 3-0 win and asked "Sky" that the team "simply have to be more active". He should have spoken from the soul of his prospective captain.
The round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain should be a game of fate for FC Bayern. Nagelsmann has recently been criticized more often. But it will also be a trend-setting game for Kimmich. He has already won the Champions League and thus saves himself certain discussions that some of his predecessors had to endure. But the fire burns in him to win the pot again. Especially since the situation in 2020 was exceptional due to the corona.
Kimmich is someone who can draw strength from the pressure he puts on himself. But maybe he's also someone who sometimes overdoes it. There is no insight into his soul. But on the pitch he has occasional moments when he definitely takes on too much. Just like in Leipzig, when he avoided the easy solution and ran into a goal. Again, he took responsibility against Cologne and saved the point.
The criticism of him is of course on a very high level. The pressure and self-demand are enormous for Kimmich. And so the duel with Paris should in a certain way follow the rhythm that he sets. A lot of weight on one shoulder. It will be important for FC Bayern, especially in Paris, to relieve him of this burden a bit.
