Klopp comments on Kimmich's exclusion from the national team

Before the home game against Serbia, Jürgen Klopp intervened in the discussion about the absence of captain Joshua Kimmich after the first two games of the national soccer team. The FC Bayern midfielder is no longer part of the second squad for the games this evening (8.45 p.m./ZDF) in the Munich Arena and next Sunday in Greece.

Kimmich said after the 1-0 loss against the Greeks in Augsburg last Sunday that he had hoped to stay with the team until the end. “He actually asked a few times,” said Klopp in the BR24 interview. The national coach added with a grin: "But I can tell Jo, the more often you ask, the less likely you are to get what you want."

Klopp on relationship with Kimmich: “It’s all good”

Klopp was generally positive about Kimmich's appearance and performance in the first week of the international match. “He made a great impression and is a great captain. “It’s all good,” said the 59-year-old. But he and his coaching team “wanted to make this cut” in the squad now.

“I want to see these guys even when the top dogs aren’t there,” said Klopp, referring to newcomers like Vitaly Janelt from Brentford FC. In his first phase as national coach, Klopp wants to prepare himself for the future if, for example, he has to react to injuries. “That’s what we’re doing right now.”

Klopp also sent a joking message to Kimmich on Bayerischer Rundfunk: “The Kimmich family is now on family vacation. I hope he does that too, to be honest."