Joshua Kimmich is one of the rising stars from last season and one of three very young players in Germany’s European Championship squad. Ahead of the second group game against Poland, the 21-year-old spoke to Steffen Lüdeke in an exclusive DFB.de interview about his first impressions of the senior team, his development, dealing with disappointment and the match against Poland.
DFB.de: Mr Kimmich, you’ve gone from success to success and are now in the national team. Considering how quickly it’s all happened, have you had time to reflect and enjoy everything going on?
Joshua Kimmich: I definitely enjoy it all. But it’s true that it’s happened at a rapid pace. I switched to Leipzig, got promoted and then played in the 2. Bundesliga. In between, we became European U19 Champions and then I moved to Bayern. Now I’m here with the senior national team – it’s all happened pretty quickly. However, I try to not let it all rush by me. I think I’m managing quite well to enjoy things.
DFB.de: You’re considered extremely disciplined and very ambitious. How do you cope with defeats, setbacks and disappointments?
Kimmich: It always depends on exactly what has happened. Most problematic for me are set-backs through injury. Back when I arrived in Leipzig, I couldn’t play to begin with due to injury and that wasn’t easy. I was in a new environment, it was my first time far away from my family and I stayed in a hotel. That proved to be a real psychological challenge. Leipzig was a new, big step in my career and I couldn’t hit the ground running.
DFB.de: What helped you during that time?
Kimmich: I phoned my family and friends a lot. They distracted me and supported me. But it’s a case of making the most of a situation and handling it yourself. Being patient is a big challenge for me (laughs). With the type of injury like mine, you can never know how long exactly you’ll be sidelined. However, the treatment and care I received in Leipzig was super and the physiotherapists and medical department did a great job. Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before I could return to the pitch.
DFB.de: How long do sporting disappointments or defeats eat away at you?
Kimmich: I can’t really say, it depends on the significance of the game. When we went out in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, it was a huge setback. And it took time to get over. I generally always try to take something positive that I can learn from. That was the case, for example, with my missed penalty in the DFB Cup final against Dortmund. I don’t immediately forget and move on. I look at it again and then try to change things which are necessary to make the outcome better next time.
DFB.de: Were you disappointed to not feature in the EURO 2016 opener against Ukraine?
Kimmich: For me, it’s incredible just to be here. What’s crucial is winning games rather than who plays. Of course I would love to feature at some point in the tournament. I’m giving my all in training but I know how strong the squad is.
DFB.de: What did you make of the game against Ukraine? What happens on the German bench?
Kimmich: You get excited, you’re caught up in the action, you encourage the team. You try to transfer as much positive energy as possible onto the pitch. Personally, I still get a lot more nervous sitting on the bench compared to being out on the pitch. I find it very hard not to be able to intervene and influence things. I’m always quite jittery on the bench.
DFB.de: At the World Cup in Brazil, the key to success was the team spirit and togetherness of the team. As a spectator, how did you follow the 2014 World Cup?
Kimmich: It’s impossible to ignore that the team was just right and completely together – how everyone always jumped up and celebrated together.
DFB.de: And is it the same at EURO 2016?
Kimmich: Exactly the same. All players obviously want to play – that has to be the case. But I have not seen one player who isn’t fully working for the team. The players who don’t play all remain really positive and support the team as best as possible. There’s a special mood in camp and that can’t be overlooked.
DFB.de: There were sceptics when you moved from Leipzig to Munich. Not everyone believed that it was the right route to take for your career. How sure were you that your decision to sign for Bayern wasn’t a mistake?
Kimmich: In fact there were almost only sceptics, only a few people were confident that I would establish myself here. My closest friends and family were the only people who believed in me. However, they had no choice and had to believe in me anyway (laughs). Personally I had no doubts, I was always sure that I would get appearances. I couldn’t have expected for it to go quite how it has done. No one would have guessed that I would be on the pitch for so many important games.
DFB.de: You believed in yourself – how quickly was your decision vindicated? Did you notice early on in training that you could hold your own?
Kimmich: I noticed that the differences were quite large from the very beginning. It was especially impressive in the first week; the tempo, how secure the players were on the ball. There were moments when I thought: “I have a long way to go as I am missing something.” I then tried to adapt as quickly as possible. The matches helped me massively to gain that sense of achievement that I have. I was able to take a lot from training as well just by observing.
DFB.de: Is it similar in the Germany national team?
Kimmich: Some Bayern players are here as well as many others who I keep an eye on. It is definitely helpful to have the opportunity to be on the field with world class players every day. Therefore, I am used to being at the highest level both during training and in matches.
DFB.de: Sebastian Rode really helped you to settle in when you came to Munich. Who is your Sebastian Rode in the national team?
Kimmich: I did a lot with Mario Götze as well as Sebastian Rode in Munich. It is a lot easier for me here as I know players from the U19s and U21s, as well as my team mates from FC Bayern and others from the Bundesliga. I already knew about half of the squad well so settling into the team wasn’t particularly difficult.
DFB.de: You have also known two members of the coaching staff for a long time.
Kimmich: Correct. I got to the final of the German Championship with Stuttgart’s U17s when Thomas Schneider was there and I certainly improved a lot during this particular time. I won the European U19 Championship with Marcus Sorg in 2014 as well.
DFB.de: How important was this success to your development?
Kimmich: I was playing in the 3. Liga at the time and it was a big step for me. We were placed against the best teams in Europe at our age level. This experience was important, especially for my confidence.
DFB.de: You have experience of European Championships from your time with the U19s and U21s. How different is it to take part with the senior team?
Kimmich: You can’t compare it. In the European U19 Championship final we played in front of 5000 spectators in Portugal. The size of the tournament here is totally different. There are hundreds of fans there when we leave the hotel. The journey to the stadium is tremendous and it’s the same during the match. Everything is different, bigger. The whole country has the fever and is watching us play – it really spurs you on.
DFB.de: The first match is over. How do you rate the standard of the football at the EURO so far?
Kimmich: The games and the results have been close and not a lot of goals have been scored. It was the same for us against Ukraine. We only made it 2-0 late on and had a few nervous moments before that. We’ve seen so far that all of the teams here at the European Championship can defend well and are able to counter quickly. I thought beforehand that there would be more matches with clear results but I was mistaken.
DFB.de: Germany play against Poland on Thursday. How is your preparation going?
Kimmich: We are ready. We are focusing more and more on this game.
DFB.de: High hopes have been placed on Lewandowski by Poland. Who else should people have their eye on as well as him?
Kimmich: They have a lot of quality both as as a team and as individuals. Blaszczykowski played in the Bundesliga for a long time, we know Piszczek from Dortmund and Milik is a good striker. It would be a mistake to reduce Poland down to just Lewandowski, however, it’s clear that he is definitely an outstanding player.
DFB.de: He has unbelievable quality but with Jerome Boateng the centre of the Germany defence is in exceptionally good hands.
Kimmich: That is definitely true.
created by mmc/kr/ma
Joshua Kimmich is one of the rising stars from last season and one of three very young players in Germany’s European Championship squad. Ahead of the second group game against Poland, the 21-year-old spoke to Steffen Lüdeke in an exclusive DFB.de interview about his first impressions of the senior team, his development, dealing with disappointment and the match against Poland.
DFB.de: Mr Kimmich, you’ve gone from success to success and are now in the national team. Considering how quickly it’s all happened, have you had time to reflect and enjoy everything going on?
Joshua Kimmich: I definitely enjoy it all. But it’s true that it’s happened at a rapid pace. I switched to Leipzig, got promoted and then played in the 2. Bundesliga. In between, we became European U19 Champions and then I moved to Bayern. Now I’m here with the senior national team – it’s all happened pretty quickly. However, I try to not let it all rush by me. I think I’m managing quite well to enjoy things.
DFB.de: You’re considered extremely disciplined and very ambitious. How do you cope with defeats, setbacks and disappointments?
Kimmich: It always depends on exactly what has happened. Most problematic for me are set-backs through injury. Back when I arrived in Leipzig, I couldn’t play to begin with due to injury and that wasn’t easy. I was in a new environment, it was my first time far away from my family and I stayed in a hotel. That proved to be a real psychological challenge. Leipzig was a new, big step in my career and I couldn’t hit the ground running.
DFB.de: What helped you during that time?
Kimmich: I phoned my family and friends a lot. They distracted me and supported me. But it’s a case of making the most of a situation and handling it yourself. Being patient is a big challenge for me (laughs). With the type of injury like mine, you can never know how long exactly you’ll be sidelined. However, the treatment and care I received in Leipzig was super and the physiotherapists and medical department did a great job. Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before I could return to the pitch.
###more###
DFB.de: How long do sporting disappointments or defeats eat away at you?
Kimmich: I can’t really say, it depends on the significance of the game. When we went out in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, it was a huge setback. And it took time to get over. I generally always try to take something positive that I can learn from. That was the case, for example, with my missed penalty in the DFB Cup final against Dortmund. I don’t immediately forget and move on. I look at it again and then try to change things which are necessary to make the outcome better next time.
DFB.de: Were you disappointed to not feature in the EURO 2016 opener against Ukraine?
Kimmich: For me, it’s incredible just to be here. What’s crucial is winning games rather than who plays. Of course I would love to feature at some point in the tournament. I’m giving my all in training but I know how strong the squad is.
DFB.de: What did you make of the game against Ukraine? What happens on the German bench?
Kimmich: You get excited, you’re caught up in the action, you encourage the team. You try to transfer as much positive energy as possible onto the pitch. Personally, I still get a lot more nervous sitting on the bench compared to being out on the pitch. I find it very hard not to be able to intervene and influence things. I’m always quite jittery on the bench.
DFB.de: At the World Cup in Brazil, the key to success was the team spirit and togetherness of the team. As a spectator, how did you follow the 2014 World Cup?
Kimmich: It’s impossible to ignore that the team was just right and completely together – how everyone always jumped up and celebrated together.
DFB.de: And is it the same at EURO 2016?
Kimmich: Exactly the same. All players obviously want to play – that has to be the case. But I have not seen one player who isn’t fully working for the team. The players who don’t play all remain really positive and support the team as best as possible. There’s a special mood in camp and that can’t be overlooked.
###more###
DFB.de: There were sceptics when you moved from Leipzig to Munich. Not everyone believed that it was the right route to take for your career. How sure were you that your decision to sign for Bayern wasn’t a mistake?
Kimmich: In fact there were almost only sceptics, only a few people were confident that I would establish myself here. My closest friends and family were the only people who believed in me. However, they had no choice and had to believe in me anyway (laughs). Personally I had no doubts, I was always sure that I would get appearances. I couldn’t have expected for it to go quite how it has done. No one would have guessed that I would be on the pitch for so many important games.
DFB.de: You believed in yourself – how quickly was your decision vindicated? Did you notice early on in training that you could hold your own?
Kimmich: I noticed that the differences were quite large from the very beginning. It was especially impressive in the first week; the tempo, how secure the players were on the ball. There were moments when I thought: “I have a long way to go as I am missing something.” I then tried to adapt as quickly as possible. The matches helped me massively to gain that sense of achievement that I have. I was able to take a lot from training as well just by observing.
DFB.de: Is it similar in the Germany national team?
Kimmich: Some Bayern players are here as well as many others who I keep an eye on. It is definitely helpful to have the opportunity to be on the field with world class players every day. Therefore, I am used to being at the highest level both during training and in matches.
DFB.de: Sebastian Rode really helped you to settle in when you came to Munich. Who is your Sebastian Rode in the national team?
Kimmich: I did a lot with Mario Götze as well as Sebastian Rode in Munich. It is a lot easier for me here as I know players from the U19s and U21s, as well as my team mates from FC Bayern and others from the Bundesliga. I already knew about half of the squad well so settling into the team wasn’t particularly difficult.
DFB.de: You have also known two members of the coaching staff for a long time.
Kimmich: Correct. I got to the final of the German Championship with Stuttgart’s U17s when Thomas Schneider was there and I certainly improved a lot during this particular time. I won the European U19 Championship with Marcus Sorg in 2014 as well.
###more###
DFB.de: How important was this success to your development?
Kimmich: I was playing in the 3. Liga at the time and it was a big step for me. We were placed against the best teams in Europe at our age level. This experience was important, especially for my confidence.
DFB.de: You have experience of European Championships from your time with the U19s and U21s. How different is it to take part with the senior team?
Kimmich: You can’t compare it. In the European U19 Championship final we played in front of 5000 spectators in Portugal. The size of the tournament here is totally different. There are hundreds of fans there when we leave the hotel. The journey to the stadium is tremendous and it’s the same during the match. Everything is different, bigger. The whole country has the fever and is watching us play – it really spurs you on.
DFB.de: The first match is over. How do you rate the standard of the football at the EURO so far?
Kimmich: The games and the results have been close and not a lot of goals have been scored. It was the same for us against Ukraine. We only made it 2-0 late on and had a few nervous moments before that. We’ve seen so far that all of the teams here at the European Championship can defend well and are able to counter quickly. I thought beforehand that there would be more matches with clear results but I was mistaken.
DFB.de: Germany play against Poland on Thursday. How is your preparation going?
Kimmich: We are ready. We are focusing more and more on this game.
DFB.de: High hopes have been placed on Lewandowski by Poland. Who else should people have their eye on as well as him?
Kimmich: They have a lot of quality both as as a team and as individuals. Blaszczykowski played in the Bundesliga for a long time, we know Piszczek from Dortmund and Milik is a good striker. It would be a mistake to reduce Poland down to just Lewandowski, however, it’s clear that he is definitely an outstanding player.
DFB.de: He has unbelievable quality but with Jerome Boateng the centre of the Germany defence is in exceptionally good hands.
Kimmich: That is definitely true.
###more###
