Jürgen Klopp is not interested in turning Bayern Munich’s midfield selection into a debate about Joshua Kimmich’s future in the team. The former Liverpool manager made that abundantly clear after being asked about the partnership between Aleksandar Pavlović and Tom Bischof, pushing back against the suggestion that their performances should spark questions about Kimmich’s place.
Klopp believes Pavlović and Bischof have the qualitiesto complement each other, but he was particularly frustrated by the timing of the discussion, given that Kimmich is dealing with a difficult personal situation.
”They [Bischof and Pavlović] are great partners who can play together brilliantly. I just think it’s absolutely disrespectful to be talking about this now. We can’t do that without it subsequently turning into a Kimmich story as well. Jo has other things to deal with today. Jo Kimmich is an outstanding midfielder who will always have a place in our team. This is a debate that only happens in this country, where, if someone does not start once, people say he will never play again. That is really crazy. A good team needs more than one, ideally four, five, six good midfielders, to be able to play football in a particular way,” Klopp told DAZN (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Klopp’s point is a sensible one. Bayern Munich should be delighted to have multiple midfielders capable of performing at a high level, rather than treating every selection decision as a referendum on someone’s career.
Pavlović and Bischof can build a partnership without it meaning Kimmich has suddenly become expendable. The German international remains one of Bayern Munich’s most important players, and one absence from the starting lineup should not change that.
Ultimately, squad depth is a strength, not a problem. If Bayern Munich want to compete on every front, they need several reliable midfield options who can offer different qualities and adapt to different opponents.
For Klopp, the discussion should be about how Bayern Munich can get the best out of all their midfielders, not about manufacturing a succession battle every time two players perform well together.
