Matthaus insists the captain is completely wasted on the flank and cannot influence games effectively from deep defensive positions.
Speaking to BildMatthaus stated: “Do him a favour and get him out of the backline. I don’t see the Joshua on the pitch that I’ve known for years. At Bayern Munich, he is absolute world-class. In terms of his body language and positioning, I don’t see him as someone who leads the team or exerts influence when things aren’t going well. From the right-back spot, he just can’t seem to manage it.”
Nevertheless, coach Nagelsmann defended his double-pivot of Felix Nmecha and Aleksandar Pavlovic, characterising their performance as “good”. Nagelsmann also pointed out that Kimmich was a “top right-back with by far the best statistics” back at Euro 2024, adding: “I don’t want to do without either Felix or Pavlo.”
