The talented 1995 vintage wants to finally show his potential at the World Cup. Joshua Kimmich formulates honest words to that effect.
This sentence could have come from a coaching legend, but it was said by Joshua Kimmich (27): “Potential is only theory” – that’s how the FC Bayern midfielder sums up how the much-cited 1995 vintage has fared so far in the German national team.
With the Confed Cup victory in 2017, the Kimmich/Goretzka generation had put a first exclamation mark, but no more have followed since: While the DFB selection was a permanent guest in the World Cup and European Championship semi-finals until 2016, it severely disappointed expectations in 2018 and 2021.
“Since ‘we’ have been at work, we simply didn’t make it. From 2018 onwards, it simply wasn’t good,” Kimmich says in the DFB’s latest international magazine ahead of the World Cup opener, which he will miss while expecting his third child. “We have a duty. “
“We can’t always just say how talented we are “
He fends off comparisons with the Lahm/Schweinsteiger generation, who were world champions at their peak in 2014. “It flatters us too much. If you look at the results, you can see that our predecessors have come closer to success. “
At some point, the current team must also “bring its potential onto the pitch”, Kimmich thinks. “I know we can do better, I know we are title-capable. But, as I said, that’s just theory. We can’t always just say how talented we are, how many of us play important roles at top clubs. And then we don’t get it right again. “
Flick upswing? “You have to take a closer look “
Under national coach Hansi Flick, the trend is right with seven wins from seven games. “We got better on track after the European Championship, that’s for sure,” says Kimmich, yet remains reserved: “You have to take a closer look and evaluate which teams we played against.”
The opponents were Liechtenstein, Armenia (2 each), Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia and, with one exception, are all outside the top 50 in the FIFA World Ranking: the Romanians currently occupy 47th place.
