It says everything about Joshua Kimmich’s ability that when he’s described as the heir to Philipp Lahm at the right back position for both Bayern Munich and Germany, no one bats an eye.
The 24-year-old has captured the Bundesliga title in each of his three full seasons with Bayern, and he shares Lahm’s Cruyffian quality of being able to play pretty much anywhere while still being the best player on the pitch.
The above video does an excellent job of showing what makes Kimmich such an outstanding footballer. Given the way that Pep Guardiola used to wax lyrical about the young talent during his time in Bavaria, it should come as no surprise that his spacial awareness is second to none.
Kimmich is always looking for and finding that extra yard of space. In a position where players can easily grow lax regarding their positioning, Kimmich knows that an extra meter between himself and the defender can amount to the breakthrough.
He’s a footballer that plays like a chess grandmaster with regards to thinking one move ahead, and when he gets into dangerous areas, he doesn’t only rely on instinct.
Instead of simply hoisting it into the mixer and declaring the job done, Kimmich is constantly monitoring the movement of Bayern’s attackers and delivering precise passes.
That’s why he provided 10 assists last season, and that’s why he’s got 10 again (second to only Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho) this time around.
If you’d like to see more Kimmich analysis goodness, here’s a video from the always excellent Tifo football.
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