Joshua Kimmich: This year we have to fight until the end, and we will fight until the end
Joshua Kimmich might be the only man in the modern game to rank as one of the world's best players in two different positions. The FC Bayern München and Germany international's preferred role is as a central midfielder, and he surely is one of the world's best, just as he is when operating at right-back for club and country.
Kimmich's versatility and gifted technical ability earmarked him for success early on in his career. He burst onto the scene with RB Leipzig, before making a move to the Bavarian Giants. Kimmich spoke on being involved in a title battle with Bundesliga.
Do you prefer to win the title early in the season or a tight, hard-fought race that gets your nerves going?
“It’s hard to say, but the most important thing is that we win the title in the end. Of course, for fans, a hard-fought race until the end is more exciting. This year we have to fight until the end, and we will fight until the end.”
How high is the pressure to win the title this year?
“The pressure in the race for the Bundesliga title is always high because we always want to win it. It’s always the biggest goal to win the league. We had a tough season with a lot of ups and downs. We played a really good first half of the season with chances in every competition. Now, there is only one title left. We have to do everything to win it.”
How much pressure do you put on yourself to win?
“I want to win every game. I’m aiming to win as many titles as possible, but sometimes you can’t win in every competition. There are moments of disappointment like in this season with a lot of ups and downs. We have won a lot, but we have also missed opportunities. Of course, there is always pressure when you play for the German national team and Bayern München, because these teams want to win every title.”
How important are titles for you? How addicted are you to winning titles?
“When you have a Champions League title to your name, it gets a little addicting and you want to do it again. You want to win it again because it is one of the biggest titles to win. Only the World Cup or the Euros might be bigger. As I said before, it’s not always possible to win the title when you are in a competition. Everything has to come together – the team has to be on a roll. You have to be in the right mood. It’s not easy to win everything, but you get addicted to reaching for the title. It’s not the most important thing to win trophies, but it’s always the biggest goal.”
Your desire on the pitch is very visible. How do you pass that on to the team?
“I understood at an early age that you can only win as a team. I’m not the type of player that can dribble around and score a lot of goals to decide matches like Leroy Sané, for example. I always knew that I need a team around me, and we need to act as a team to win. That is why I always try to pass on my motivation to the whole team and create the right team spirit. The most important thing is to lead by example. That is how you can help your teammates.”
You’re called the ‘emotional leader’. How would you describe your leadership style?
“Good question. That might be a question for my teammates. I try to be emotional and communicate with my teammates. I think it is probably a mix of emotion and communication.”
Do you like the term ‘emotional leader’?
“Yes and no. I think emotions are not always positive. There are positive emotions and negative emotions. When you find the right emotions, you can push your teammates and yourself as well.”
Bayern take on RB Leipzig on Saturday. You used to play for Leipzig – are game against them special for you?
“It is always special to play against a former club. I think there are two players left in their squad who used to be my teammates – Emil Forsberg and Yussuf Poulsen. Of course, the club changed since then. I played for Leipzig in the third division and Bundesliga 2. Today, they are constantly in the Champions League and made it to the DFB Pokal final four out of five times in the past years. They developed amazingly.”
What do you make of Leipzig’s development in recent years?
“They developed well, of course. It’s going really, really fast. Eight years ago, they were still in Bundesliga 2. Since they came up, they played in the Champions League almost every year. That is a great development, and it is great to see how they manage to compete at this high level. They were in the semi-final of the Champions League and won the Pokal last year. They are going for the big trophies now.”
You learned Leipzig’s way of playing early in your career. Do you benefit from that today?
“It was a really important step for me to go there. I was a youth player at Stuttgart before, where I was focussed on my technical skills. At Leipzig, it was much more tactical, a bigger focus on pressing and learning to switch the play quickly and move forward. For me, it was important to become a player in a senior squad. I started training with them when I was 18, which had an amazing effect on my development. Even today, the style of play to press and move forward quickly and aggressively that I learned there helps me.”
What are your expectations for the Leipzig match?
“We will see. We are really confident at the moment. We played some good games, but we know they are a tough opponent, especially with their pressing and physicality. They play with a high intensity. We have to find a way to beat them.”
Why will Bayern win the Bundesliga title this season?
“Because we have it in our own hands – we need two wins. There are still two games to go, so we know that we have to win every game. We have the quality to do it. Almost everybody in the team is fit now. Of course, some are dealing with long-term injuries, but the team is strong and tough enough to win the games.”
The title could go down to the final Matchday when you travel to Köln. You scored a great late equalizer in the game against them earlier this season. Do you dream of winning the title with another one like that?
“First, we have to win the ‘semi-finals’ this weekend to make sure we have it in our hands on the final Matchday. So, for now our focus is on RB Leipzig. We know we have to win this game. We will focus on Köln as soon as we have won that.”
What do you think of Thomas Tuchel as a coach? How has Bayern’s game changed under him?
“At the beginning, he changed the system a bit and put us in our regular positions on the pitch. He calmed us down a bit. You can see that he is really experienced and has coached at big clubs before. Therefore, he knows how to speak to the team. He has a clear idea of football, of his system and of how he wants us to play with the ball and against the ball. Of course, it was a really difficult situation when he came in, but I think in the future, we will have a really good team and we will play great football.”
How has the feeling within the team changed since he took over?
“We were still competing in the Champions League and in the Pokal at that time. We didn’t lead the Bundesliga, but everything was possible when he came. But we didn’t play well – it was a strange situation. It is good to have somebody as experienced as him on our side.”
The Bundesliga turns 60 in August. What are your memories of the Bundesliga as a child?
“I was always a fan of VfB Stuttgart because I lived not far away from Stuttgart. When I think about the Bundesliga, the first memory is a game of Freiburg against Dortmund that I visited with my parents. My idol back then was Thomas Rosicky and my dad bought a shirt for me after the game. That was really exciting. My second memory is of Stuttgart’s Bundesliga title in 2007. It was amazing to be a fan of the team who won the title.”
What has been the most emotional moment of your Bundesliga career as a player?
“The most emotional moment was probably my first game. Even looking back now after all this time in the Bundesliga, my first game was the most emotional. I played one minute against Augsburg, and I didn’t touch the ball. For me, that is a great memory, because my big dream became a reality.”