Joshua Kimmich expresses his desire to play in midfield for Bayern Munich

After making a name for himself by playing as a right-back, Joshua Kimmich wants to play as a number “6.” Kimmich has played in a defensive midfield role for the German national team for some time now. In an interview with Sky.de, the 24-year-old talked about his role at Bayern Munich and Germany.

The national team is going through some changes. Some new faces were present for the team’s first competitive match of 2019 in the Netherlands last Sunday. Kimmich and company won 3:2 in an exciting match. Kimmich said,

You could already feel a certain amount of restructuring. Certain players were not there, which gave room for other players. It was noticeably hard for some to know where they stand.

Kimmich also added that it is important that all players take more responsibility to replace the experienced players accordingly.

It is normal for players with more international games to get more responsibility. That counts for me, as well.

Kimmich has already achieved a pivotal role in the German national team and is considered a leader for the team. He described growing into his role:

It’s a process, for which you have to grow. I myself do not worry so much about it. For me it’s important to primarily put in a great performance. That is always the basis for pushing others with you.

“6” as favorite position

Kimmich has played in midfield since his childhood and more recently with the national team. He has given a few performances as a central midfielder for Bayern, but they have not never matched his performances at right-back. Still it is Kimmich’s wish to play as a midfielder, and it will be interesting to see whether Kovač grants his wish. Kimmich said,

I want to play in a central role so I can be involved and reach more players on the pitch. As a right-back, you’re not always 100% involved in the game, which is quite different from the six position.

Kimmich has never made his favorite position a secret and wants to play there for the Bavarians:

I know the position from an early age, I’ve always played there in my youth, as I’ve often said. If I had to pick one position, then it’s the “6,” and in the long run, my goal is to play as a six.

The criticism of Löw

The fact that Kimmich is already a leader at the age of 24 was also shown by his criticism of Löw. After the removal of his Bayern colleagues Kimmich spoke in defense of his teammates:

If I have to assess that from a player’s perspective, the manner (in which it was done) is not okay.

Now, Kimmich said that he and Low talked about this:

We talked about it briefly after that, and it was also important to me to explain my point, which had nothing to do with criticizing the sport-related decisions. That’s always for the coach.

Joshua Kimmich is an irreplaceable player for both Bayern and Germany. One question remains for Bayern fans: is he more useful at right-back or at his preferred position — number “6”?