News (engl.)

Joshua Kimmich was named as the new captain of the Germany national team following the retirement of World Cup winner Manuel Neuer. Ahead of the Nations League double-header against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Freiburg on Saturday (20:45 CET) and against Hungary in Budapest next Tuesday (also 20:45 CET), the 29-year-old FC Bayern München midfielder spoke to DFB.de regarding the development of the squad.

Joshua Kimmich on...

... the development of the national squad: The Austria game was a definite low point (2-0 loss, 21st November 2023). We had already reached a low point with the World Cup performance, but we felt even worse after that. The coaching team then made some very good decisions and things that had been changed then started to bear fruit in March of this year. The coaching team took a different approach which was important for us to be able to grow as a team – we had a foundation to build from again. Ahead of us were two very, very tough opponents in the Netherlands and France, both of whom we then beat. That gave us confidence. We realised then that we had the potential to win against the biggest names, but beforehand everything had been rather up in the air. 2024 was a positive year for us and we want to end it positively too. We have to stick with our approach and believe in our abilities. We have a lot of talent and a lot of experience too.

... the mood in camp: Team spirit fluctuates depending on results. We have been very successful over the past few months, and so everyone looks forward to team dinners. That’s not the case if you’ve just lost four or five games. You can see that this is a group that enjoys being together. We want to continue our sporting development so that we can experience more enjoyment as a team.

... the team’s goals: Our main goal is to reach the final four of the Nations League. If you want to be successful at major tournaments, you can’t simply expect to start winning games there and then so it’s important that we take this competition seriously too. The matches are more enjoyable to play than friendlies. As a player, you want to compete at the highest level and win every competition you take part in.

... the connection with the fans: Part of playing for the national team is about having the chance to bring joy to people and also to inspire them. As a team, it’s important that we win games, which help us massively in establishing a good rapport with those watching. Following the EUROs, I was very surprised at how positively we were received after being knocked out in the quarter-finals. Passion and determination are more important in that regard than the end result.

... the upcoming opponent: It will probably be a similar game to the first against Bosnia and Herzegovina. I imagine that we will dominate. We did struggle in that first match against them but deserved to win in the end. We want to win the group – that’s our overarching target.

... the position he plays for Germany: You need to have a further set of skills to be able to play at right-back as well as in midfield. I often position myself very high and see it as quite a different role, involved heavily in transition, requiring another kind of intensity. I see it as a sign of quality if you can play both positions.

... potential team members returning: Everyone has the chance to make the squad. Robin Gosens and Julian Brandt have shown that. It is all based off performances at club level. I generally think that keeping a similar squad together following the EUROs has served the team well. That fighting spirit needs to be there, though.

... dealing with setbacks: Every player goes through ups and downs. The important thing is to keep a cool head, because football isn’t the be-all-and-end-all. I’m a human being too at the end of the day. I used to value myself based on victories and defeats but I have more perspective now that I have a family at home as well.