The word “intensity” is quite synonymous with Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, though he can also be described as a defender, depending on who you ask. One would be hard-pressed to find a match, for either club or country, where there wasn’t at least one moment of Kimmich yelling or gesticulating in an aggressive manner. That is simply the type of player he is and the type of energy he brings to the pitch. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and there are few subtleties about him when he is playing football.
Despite squad rotations for different fixtures in various competitions, primarily with Bayern, Kimmich is often a mainstay on the team sheet. He possesses the fitness and ability to play a full 90 minutes multiple times a week, and his track record supports how often he plays, barring the period in the 2020/21 season when he dealt with a respiratory issue.
This season, especially with the introduction of the new Champions League format in European competition, there has been widespread backlash among players, clubs, pundits, and fans about the number of matches scheduled across all competitions. This follows UEFA’s introduction of the Nations League to eliminate the idea of meaningless friendlies during mid-season international breaks.
For Kimmich, however, he doesn’t mind the packed fixture lists. In fact, he feels quite the opposite and relishes the chance to play as often as possible, despite the risks.
“Maybe I’m making myself a bit unpopular, but I like to play a lot of games. In football, there will always be injuries,” he explained to Deutsche Welle.
Photo by S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images
Ironically, last season, Manchester City manager and former Bayern coach Pep Guardiola suggested that a strike might be a good option to address the increasing fixture congestion. “There is only one solution to change something: maybe if all the players decide for themselves to say, ‘Stop,’ you have to change something,” Guardiola said last fall via The Athletic. “Then FIFA and UEFA will maybe react a little bit.”
Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who is now sidelined with a serious injury, echoed Guardiola’s sentiment earlier this season. “I think we’re close to going on strike over the football calendar. It’s something that worries us. We are the ones who suffer,” he warned (via CentreGoals).
For Kimmich, who rarely gets injured for either Bayern or Germany, one could argue that fortune favors the bold. However, not every player is as fortunate to remain as fit and healthy for as long as he has. There will always be calculated risks with the incredibly high fixture demand, but as things stand, the only solution might indeed be a strike initiated by players, clubs, and national team federations.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on where Bayern Munich stands at the moment, along with updates on the contract situations of Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala, plus a breakdown of “The Kompany Rules”? Great, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
