“Completely tasteless”: Klopp firmly backs Kimmich live on DAZN
At half-time of Bayern v Arsenal the national coach praised the Bischof/Pavlović pairing – and dismissed the Kimmich debate: he will “always have a place” in the team.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Germany coach Jürgen Klopp firmly backed Joshua Kimmich on Wednesday evening as a guest on DAZN. At half-time of Bayern's Champions League game against Arsenal (2-2) he was asked about the midfield pairing of Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlović, who stood in for the absent Kimmich. “They are top partners who can play outstandingly together,” Klopp said, according to t-online. The club said Kimmich missed the game because of a bereavement in his family.
Klopp then raised the debate over Kimmich's standing himself: “I just find it completely tasteless to talk about that today.” Kimmich is “an outstanding midfielder who will always have a place in our team”, he said, but a team needs more than one midfielder; others such as Felix Nmecha, Mika Baur or Jannik Engelhardt could also work alongside him.
The debate has been running since the last international break, when Bischof deputised well for the Bayern captain in the national team. “That is a discussion that only happens in this country,” Klopp said, “it's really crazy.” There is no fundamental issue, he added. Germany next play Serbia in Belgrade on 13 November and the Netherlands in Berlin on 16 November.