Former Bayern Munich and German national star Philipp Lahm is one of the most accomplished German footballers ever and has an interesting take on how Germany’s 2026 World Cup squad can be improved.
“Joshua Kimmich has played in midfield throughout the entire season. Together with Aleksandar Pavlović, he played many matches, and Bayern were only narrowly knocked out in the Champions League semifinals. Kimmich has been performing at the highest level in midfield for years. I wouldn’t break up the spine of the team with (Manuel) Neuer, (Jonathan) Tah, and Kimmich by moving him to right-back. That’s why I would play him in midfield,” Lahm told Sport Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “At the 2014 World Cup, we sometimes played with two center-backs in the full-back positions. That is also an option.
“In my opinion, Waldemar Anton could play on the right. On the left, we have David Raum, who plays very offensively. With Anton, who is more defensive, you would have the balance between attacking drive on one side and defensive stability on the other.”
Lahm is presenting idea that almost makes too much sense for head coach Julian Nagelsmann to deploy. At this point, Nagelsmann seems married to playing Kimmich at right-back and a move to the central midfield for the Bayern Munich star seems very unlikely.
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