Right-back or central midfielder? Nagelsmann discusses Kimmich’s role for Germany

A natural central midfielder, Joshua Kimmich has mostly been playing at right-back for Germany since Julian Nagelsmann took over. Will that continue?

Joshua Kimmich is used to pulling the strings in the middle of the park for Bayern Munich.

But when the 29-year-old plays for Germany, it’s usually at right-back – or at least that’s been the case since Julian Nagelsmann took over as coach.

In an interview with the FAZ ahead of Germany’s UEFA Nations League tie with Italy later this month, Nagelsmann confirmed that Kimmich will remain at right-back until further notice.

“I have to weigh things up: What is the smaller need and what is the bigger need? At the moment, I can’t see a more stable right-back than Josh, especially after ‘Benny’ Henrichs’ injury,” he said.

“At the No. 6 position, I’ve got Pascal (Gross), Angelo (Stiller), ‘Pavlo’ (Aleksandar Pavlovic) when he’s fit, ‘Rob’ (Andrich), Felix (Nmecha) and other candidates. That’s the smaller need. That’s why I’m sticking with it for now.

“Above all, Josh is a good example of the role that emotionality plays alongside quality,” he went on, praising Kimmich’s mentality.