'I know how the business works': Kimmich on national team debate

German national team captain Joshua Kimmich has said he is undeterred by those who have questioned his role there and insisted he had the quality and ambition to remain a key figure.

Midfielder Kimmich played in the first two recent Nations League matches in the Netherlands and against Greece.

Coach Jürgen Klopp then changed his squad for the other two games against Serbia and in Greece where Kimmich's Bayern Munich team-mates Aleksandar Pavlovic and Tom Bischof impressed.

That raised questions about Kimmich's future role, with former Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn saying that Kimmich no longer automatically had a guaranteed starting place in the team and ex-Germany captain Lothar Matthäus insisting that Kimmich now had to prove himself as a leader.

"I've been doing this for 11 years now, I know how the business works," Kimmich said after Saturday's 2-2 Bundesliga draw at Augsburg.

"I haven't followed it at all, but you still get the impression that there's been a bit of a fuss. The only thing I can and must concentrate on is my performance. That's what I do, that's what I've done for the past 11 years, and that's what I'll continue to do.

"In the end, the best players always play, and I've done quite well over the past 10 years in being among the best. And that's my goal, that's what I work towards every day. And then I'll make sure I deliver my performance every three days."

Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl backed Kimmich, saying: "I've followed the fact that Joshua Kimmich's qualities have been called into question, and I find that absolutely absurd. He's a leader who leads from the front." 

Eberl acknowledged that Kimmich may have had little success in his previous big tournaments, "but to me, Joshua Kimmich is an outstanding German player, and we should be glad to have a player like him in our ranks."

Klopp said that Kimmich had asked him to stay for the final two games but Kimmich said he was not put off by the decision to send him home and was also not asking for more backing from Klopp in the debate. 

"No, not at all. He also explained how things were," Kimmich said. "The coach communicated that very clearly from the outset and also explained the reasons behind it. So I was fine with it, and everything was clear."