Jürgen Klopp criticises, Oliver Kahn condemns comment on Kimmich

The former German national goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has criticised Jürgen Klopp for his public comment on the Joshua Kimmich issue and called the handling inappropriate. Kahn spoke on RTL/Sky Sport and pointed out that Klopp’s remark about the “lead wolf” from the player’s perspective was not very positive.

“Jürgen Klopp also made an interesting statement about Kimmich: ‘I would like to see the team also once without the lead wolf.’ Personally, I do not find this comment from Joshua Kimmich’s perspective particularly positive,” said former Bayern boss Kahn on RTL/Sky Sport.

Kahn explained that Klopp wanted to assess whether a particular personality was hindering the team, and emphasized that such assessments should not be made public because they discredit the player.

Kimmich’s Role in the Squad

Kimmich was selected by the new DFB coach only for the first part of the 44‑man squad. After the disappointing 0‑1 defeat to Greece, he, along with many others, was removed from the squad and had to watch the remaining matches against Serbia (2‑0) and the return leg in Greece (0‑0) from the couch.

The Bayern midfielder made no secret of his desire to continue playing for the DFB team. The decision to forgo the captain was perceived by the public as surprising.

Klopp Responds to Criticism

At the press conference before the return leg in Greece, Klopp responded irritably: “I give up. Officially. Already now. Do whatever you want.” He stressed that the midfield without Kimmich was indeed good, but you cannot get by with only three midfielders.

Nevertheless, Klopp said: “I am pleased that Joshua Kimmich is a German international – and everyone else as well.” The next Nations League matches are scheduled for November: against Serbia on 13 November and against the Netherlands on 16 November in Berlin.