Rudi Völler warns against unfair Kimmich rating after Serbia win
In the conference room of the DFB in Frankfurt, Rudi Völler looks ahead after the last two international matches. While Joshua Kimmich was absent for the fixtures against Serbia and Greece, the media have already debated fiercely about his future role in the German national team and the public.
The debate about Kimmich and his position in the DFB team has been one of the main topics in recent days. Völler is now trying to curb the discussion and warns against comparing the recent performances of the national team with each other.
Performance without Kimmich against Serbia
Kimmich missed the two matches against Serbia and Greece. In his absence, the midfield impressed with Tom Bischof, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Florian Wirtz, especially in the 2-0 win against Serbia. The question of whether Germany could function better without the captain was immediately raised.
Völler says a direct comparison is not fair. He emphasizes: “Jo Kimmich is a wonderful captain, a wonderful player and will continue to bring us a lot of joy in the coming years.”
Different opponents must be taken into account when evaluating, Völler explains. “The first two games were difficult matches. Serbia was certainly a bit weaker and then you look a bit better,” he adds.
He is referring to the matches against the Netherlands and Greece, in which Kimmich was still used. A comparison with the subsequently victorious team against Serbia is therefore problematic.
“We probably would have also won the first two games against Serbia,” says Völler, adding: “I’m stretching that quite far. Therefore the comparison is a bit unfair.”
The final decision on Kimmich’s future role lies with national team coach Jürgen Klopp. Klopp has already emphasized that the door is not closed for any player.
For the DFB sports director, it is clear that Kimmich remains an important figure in the team.
The debate is likely to continue nonetheless. Since Bischof, Pavlovic and Wirtz have taken their chance, Klopp faces difficult decisions, but it is not unlikely that both the three and Kimmich will be in Germany’s next squad.