Joshua Kimmich scored a remarkable goal to make it 1-1 against 1. FC Köln.Image: dpa / Sven Hoppe
Bundesliga
FC Bayern certainly imagined the start of 2023 differently. After the 1-1 draw against Leipzig last Friday, there was only a draw against Cologne on Tuesday (1-1). If Frankfurt wins against Freiburg on Wednesday, the Hessians could even draw level with Bayern in the top game next Saturday.
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This is certainly one of the reasons why there is currently a mood of crisis in Munich. In addition, coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team was particularly disappointing in the first half against Cologne.
This prompted Joshua Kimmich to criticize himself and his teammates after the game. In an interview with Sat.1, the midfielder said:
“The second half was a bit better than the first, so we definitely need to talk about that, especially in terms of our approach, attitude and readiness.”
This makes it clear: For Kimmich, not all Bayern players were fully concentrated on the pitch. With the short-term separation of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalović and the unrest surrounding Serge Gnabry’s visit to Paris Fashion Week, there is currently plenty to talk about at FC Bayern. After the Cologne game, Munich’s sports director Hasan Salihamidžić described Gnabry’s trip to Paris as “amateurish”.
Nevertheless, Kimmich criticizes even more, complaining about Cologne’s early goal by Ellyes Skhiri after a corner kick: “We get another goal after a set piece. We got that a few times in the preliminary round. We have to stop that as soon as possible, we did better last season.”
“It’s not that it’s a matter of technique and tactics. It’s just the willingness. I expect that we’ll change that quickly.”
Joshua Kimmich on the criticism of his teammates.
Kimmich also talks about how to solve this problem. Accordingly, it is “relatively easy”. The national player added: “It’s not that it’s a matter of technique and tactics. It’s just readiness. I expect we can change that quickly.”
One statistic that might reflect this “readiness” is the running statistic. At the end of last season, FC Bayern finished eighth with a total of 3,940.8 kilometers run. The Munich team is currently in ninth place and has covered 1,864.6 kilometers so far, which is inevitably worse.
On the other hand, Kimmich certainly also addresses the willingness to accompany and disturb opponents in standard situations. At the early Skhiri goal, the Tunisian was able to insert freely after an extra header.
FC Bayern certainly imagined the start of 2023 differently. After the 1-1 draw against Leipzig last Friday, there was only a draw against Cologne on Tuesday (1-1). If Frankfurt wins against Freiburg on Wednesday, the Hessians could even draw level with Bayern in the top game next Saturday.
