Too much chaos? Kimmich must do better in the PSG second leg | OneFootball

The 4:5 spectacle between FC Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain was a game of extremes – and one that unusually bypassed the Munich control center. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović, usually the pacesetters in the Bayern game, suddenly found themselves in a supporting role

Joshua Kimmich’s numbers were particularly surprising during the match: midway through the first half, the DFB captain had fewer touches of the ball than almost any other Bayern player – only Harry Kane was on the ball less often

Things didn’t go smoothly in the duels either: Kimmich only won two out of seven duels – his weakest figure this season with a comparable number of duels

An unusual picture for a player who normally sets the pace and acts as the strategic head

Play shifted to the wings

However, the explanation lies less in the individual performance and more in the system of play. Both Bayern and PSG relied on an extremely offensive system in which the action often ran down the flanks

As a result, Kimmich and Pavlović looked like spectators in the center at times as the game shifted past them. SPORT1 chief reporter Stefan Kumberger summed it up in the podcast „Die Bayern-Woche“: Kimmich was „not the great conductor or the metronome in midfield“ – without, however, deriving any criticism from this

photo: Getty Images

The duel at the Prinzenpark was characterized by an open exchange of blows with enormous speed and many switching situations, with classic midfield structures playing a subordinate role

It was precisely this aspect that drew criticism from the outside, with experts such as Wayne Rooney and Clarence Seedorf criticizing the lack of control in the center. Former Italian international Alessandro Melli put it particularly drastically, describing the game as the „new NBA“ and criticizing the lack of balance

Coaches stick to their line

However, neither Vincent Kompany nor PSG coach Luis Enrique see any reason to change their fundamental approach. While Kompany emphasized that „not everything is black or white“ for him, Enrique reacted much more harshly to the criticism and explained: „If it’s a shitty opinion, you don’t have to respect it.“

Both also made it clear ahead of the second leg that they were not willing to change or adapt their own playing DNA. Both coaches stand for a bold, attacking approach – and consciously accept that the midfield does not always play the central role

No trend for the future

However, this game is likely to remain the exception for FC Bayern. In the normal day-to-day running of the Bundesliga, control by the midfield is a central part of the system – and thus also the role of Kimmich and Pavlovic

„It may be that the midfield gets less access against top teams, but Kimmich & Co. will continue to dominate the league on a day-to-day basis,“ said Kumberger

Ultimately, the PSG game shows one thing above all: even key players like Kimmich can lose influence in certain phases of the game – without this immediately representing a structural problem

The DFB captain remains at the heart of Bayern’s build-up play and was part of an exceptional game against PSG – not an expression of a fundamental weakness.