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According to a report from Bild, Germany manager Joachim Löw has informed Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich that he will be moving from the central midfielder to the right-back/right wing-back position that Löw uses in his 3-4-3 system.
With Germany’s biggest strength in the central midfield, the move makes sense from the perspective of ensuring the squad will have its 11 best players on the pitch:
According to BILD information, Löw is also planning with the Bayern star at the tournament in the back right. He informed Kimmich of this after the Latvia game.
Funny enough, one person who thinks this is best for everyone is another player who made the same move, Philipp Lahm.
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“His best position is in front of the defense. However, the German national team has the drivers and thinkers of Man City and Real in its ranks with Kroos and Gündogan, and therefore it is already a good consideration to play Joshua on the right in front of the three-man backline,” Lahm told Bild. “Thanks to Pep (Guardiola), Kimmich’s versatility is established and Joshua now has to deal with it.”
Guardiola, of course, used Kimmich at a variety of positions while coaching at Bayern Munich.
As for Kimmich, he probably knew this move was coming given this quote from just a couple of days ago:
“In the end, it’s the coach’s decision,” said Kimmich (as captured by Bild). “If he sees me as a right-back and has the feeling that I can help the team best because that’s when we’re the strongest, then I’ll play right-back.”
Aside of Kimmich, Germany’s midfield includes Leon Goretzka (injured), Toni Kroos, İlkay Gündoğan, and Florian Neuhaus primarily all competing for playing time at two spots. Kimmich’s move not only clears out room there for Germany, but also allow Lukas Klostermann to be an option at center-back in Löw’s backline.