Kimmich is gone—now it’s Pavlovic’s time to shine under Klopp | OneFootball

Joshua Kimmich has left the DFB team. Now, of all people, his Bayern teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic is in high demand in the German midfield.

Jürgen Klopp must rebuild his DFB squad in the second week without his key midfielder. Joshua Kimmich returned to FC Bayern as planned after the matches against the Netherlands and Greece.

Although the 31-year-old would have liked to continue, Klopp wants to get to know numerous other players as part of his XXL training camp. As a result, a significantly altered roster is set for the matches against Serbia and, once again, Greece.

From Bayern’s perspective, Aleksandar Pavlovic is the main focus. The 22-year-old is part of Klopp’s second squad and could now take on responsibility in the very position that Kimmich dominated during the first week.

The 0-1 loss to Greece, in particular, showed just how much Germany struggles when there’s a lack of creativity coming from the midfield. Kimmich repeatedly tried to spark the offense, but he couldn’t solve the problems against the deep-lying defense on his own.

Can Pavlovic step up and take on the responsibility without Kimmich?

Now the situation has changed completely. Kimmich is no longer in the lineup—Pavlovic has joined the squad. At FC Bayern, the two regularly play together in the center. On the DFB team, the youngster could now show that he can take on a key role even without his experienced partner.

After the loss to Greece, Bastian Schweinsteiger once again emphasized just how dependent the team currently is on Kimmich. “The only one who’s a sure thing for me is Kimmich,” the former Bayern star explained on ARD.

That’s exactly why it will be interesting to see how Klopp lines up his midfield without the captain. Alongside Pavlovic, options for the center of midfield include Bayern teammate Tom Bischof, Vitaly Janelt (FC Brentford), Yannick Engelhardt (SC Freiburg), and Bambasé Conté (TSG Hoffenheim).

Photo: IMAGO

This presents a great opportunity for Pavlovic. At FC Bayern, he has long since proven that he can open up the game from deep and dictate the pace with his composure on the ball. On the DFB national team, he has yet to earn that position.

The first match of the second group stage takes place in Munich, of all places. On Thursday, Germany will face Serbia at the Allianz Arena. For Pavlovic, a native of Munich, the match could therefore feel like a home game in more ways than one.

Kimmich leaves a big gap in the German midfield. Now his Bayern teammate can show just how much of that gap he can already fill on his own.