Joshua Kimmich had big boots to fill when succeeding Philipp Lahm in the Bayern defence. However, the Germany international has managed to make the full-back position his own in a short space of time. The reason for that is because the 24-year-old is, like his predecessor, always in action.
For example, Lahm didn’t miss a single minute of Bundesliga action between April 2009 and August 2011, playing 90 minutes in 79 consecutive games. This season, Kimmich has also spent every single minute of the league campaign on the pitch and has featured in 34 Bundesliga matches in a row spanning multiple seasons.
It’s a remarkable run when you consider that Kimmich is the only outfielder alongside Hannover’s Waldemar Anton not to miss a single minute of Bundesliga action this season. The 2017 Confederations Cup winner is the constant in Bayern’s game and always on the move. Kimmich covers an average of 12km per game, which is the most of any FCB player who has featured in at least seven matches. And all that running down the wing has created plenty of danger to the opposition’s goal.
Bayern’s top assist provider
With 12 assists to his name in the league, Kimmich is Bayern’s best provider. There is therefore a good chance that he will feature again at RB Leipzig this weekend, where the three-time German champion will look to wrap up a fourth Bundesliga title with a win. “We’re convinced we’ll be champions,” he stated before the match, but also sounded a word of warning about his former teammates.
“They don’t concede many goals and have serious pace in their team. They always look for balls in behind for Yussuf [Poulsen] and Timo [Werner].” However, there is one Leipzig player who impresses Kimmich even more. “They have an outstanding player in Emil Forsberg. He’s like the head of the team, the one who plays those balls through, moves well and has a good shot from distance.”
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