Germany watch: Toni Kroos talks impact of Bayern Munich’s form on national team

The German national team’s core remains strongly influenced by Bayern Munich and at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the likes of Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller will be the first names in head coach Hansi Flick’s team sheet. Can a potential dip in Die Roten’s form in the buildup to the tournament affect Germany’s chances for the title?

Real Madrid star Toni Kroos isn’t worried about such a scenario. In one of his podcast episodes from last month, the 32-year old expressed confidence in Deutschland’s current Bayern Munich contingent to take things up a notch while playing for their country.

“I think the players are mentally strong enough to fully switch gears then and say, ‘Look, that’s gone and now we’ll meet here with the national team and play a World Cup, even if the form there in Munich isn’t so good,” the former Bayern midfielder said on ‘Einfach mal Luppen’ (as captured by Spox). At the time of the podcast’s release, the Bavarian giants were reeling from the UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of Villareal.

Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Kroos cited the example of legendary forward Miroslav Klose, who used to thrive while playing for Germany, despite often suffering from poor form at the club level.

“I still remember how often Miro used to be insulted, especially by the Bavarian media, because he once didn’t score a goal in Munich for four or five games, and then he went to the national team and scored six goals in two games,” recalled the four-time UEFA Champions League winner.