Germany captain Joshua Kimmich spoke to the media ahead of the friendly match away to Switzerland on Friday and home to Ghana three days later.
„Of course, as captain, I have a different role than I had in 2022 or 2018. It is true that the last two World Cups were disappointing for us, but that does not change anything for the next one. We are probably not among the main favorites because we did not perform well in the last tournament, but when the World Cup starts, then what happened in the past is no longer interesting. It is only about the next game. It is important to start with a win in the first game. But it is still March, that does not matter at the moment. "However, we want to play a very good tournament," he began.
The Germany captain ruled out the option of returning to the Bundesliga midfield due to the injuries to Aleksandar Pavlović and Felix Nmecha: "No. I am convinced that I can bring my qualities and strengths to the pitch at right-back in the same way as when I play in midfield."
Kimich also commented on the first call-ups of his young Bayern teammates Lennart Karl and Jonas Urbig, as well as Jamal Musiala, who was given a break from the national team: "Of course, we will try to support the new players, but it is also important that they know that they are here for a reason, namely because they have performed well and have certain qualities. They just have to have confidence and show themselves. That is what I expect from the boys. They have to give their all and take advantage of their chance.
Jamal is a very important player for Bayern and Germany. We all hope he recovers soon. He had a very serious injury last summer. It's not easy to get back to your previous level right away. I think he performed well in the games he played, especially the ones he started. He showed that he is a special player”.
Is our current squad among the best teams in the world? It doesn't matter. Ultimately, what matters is what you show on the pitch. There is no guarantee that you will win titles with the best squad in the world. I remember that in 2018 we had one of the best squads in the world and we all know where that led us. The important thing is not to have the best squad in the world, but the best team in the world. We are working on that. Everyone has to give their all for the team. "If that's the case, we don't need the best squad to win games," Kimmich explained.