Philipp Treu eager to solve Germany’s right-back problem by emulating role models Philipp Lahm and Joshua Kimmich | OneFootball

Philipp Treu could be in line for an immediate Germany debut as Jürgen Klopp begins reshaping one of the national team’s most problematic positions. The 25-year-old Freiburg defender is among the 11 first-time senior internationals included in Klopp’s enormous initial Germany selection and appears to have a realistic chance of featuring against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Thursday.

Indeed, Treu may even find himself in the starting XI.

Germany’s persistent issues at right-back provide the Freiburg professional with a particularly interesting opening. Joshua Kimmich has repeatedly been shifted back out of midfield to solve the problem, including during the previous international cycle. Kimmich played both of Germany’s March internationals at right-back and subsequently occupied the position again at the World Cup.

Klopp, however, has already indicated that he wants to examine the natural options available to him. Kimmich – Klopp has personally confirmed – will be returning to midfielder. When announcing his first 44-player Germany squad, the new Bundestrainer directly challenged the familiar assertion that the country simply doesn’t produce enough right-backs.

“We talk in Germany about how we don’t have any right-backs,” Klopp said while discussing Treu’s inclusion. “Philipp Treu, for example, must ask himself: ‘Huh, what are they talking about?'”

Philipp Treu eager to show Germany who he is

Treu’s route to the senior national team has hardly been conventional. The Heidelberg native came through Freiburg’s academy but left for St. Pauli in 2023 for approximately €500,000 without making a Bundesliga appearance for SCF. Two highly productive years in Hamburg transformed his career.

Treu helped St. Pauli win promotion before starting 33 of 34 Bundesliga matches during the club’s 2024/25 survival campaign. Freiburg subsequently paid approximately €5 million to bring their former academy player back.

The energetic full-back has since developed into an increasingly important component of Julian Schuster’s team. His ability to operate on both defensive flanks also became important last season, when Freiburg occasionally shifted Treu to the left in search of greater defensive stability.

That versatility remained evident entering the current campaign, even as Treu established himself primarily as Freiburg’s preferred solution on the right.

Klopp personally informed Treu of his first senior nomination following Freiburg’s 5-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The defender had been settling in for an afternoon watching the 2. Bundesliga when the new Bundestrainer suddenly appeared on his phone. Treu admitted this week that Klopp’s personality made an immediate impression.

“Through his relaxed and positive manner, the way he smiles at you, you just say to yourself: ‘Hey, this is a great guy! I want to work with him,'” Treu said when speaking to a group of assembled reporters at the DFB training camp in Herzogenaurach. “You notice: I’d almost walk through fire for him.”

The motivation was already evident when Treu reacted to joining three Freiburg teammates among Germany’s first-time call-ups.

“I want to show who Philipp Treu is and give the fans joy with my intensity and with my style of play,” he said at the time.

Treu reiterated that message in Herzogenaurach.

“If I play, I always want to lead the way and show that people can rely on me,” he said. “I leave my heart on the pitch and always go full throttle.”

Lahm and Kimmich provided the blueprint

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Treu’s footballing role models also offer an interesting link to Germany’s long-running search for stability at right-back.

“From the time I was just a little boy, of course [it was] Philipp Lahm,” Treu said when asked which professional he looked up to as a young full-back. “For me, it was relatively clear early that I would play as a fullback in every team. I wasn’t someone who used to play as a striker. I always played at the back.”

Treu also singled out the man Germany have so often asked to fill the position in recent years.

“There’s also Joshua Kimmich, with his mindset, with his work ethic,” Treu continued. “The way he plays and always thinks about football. He was also a role model for me.”

Germany have spent years moving Kimmich between midfield and right-back depending on the needs of the team. Klopp’s first squad offers an opportunity to test whether a more natural solution has been hiding in plain sight. Treu now has the chance to provide an answer.

Unlike both Lahm and Kimmich, however, it appears Treu has no immediate interest in moving into midfield.

GGFN | Peter Weis