Germany captain Joshua Kimmich on their 2-0 loss to Slovakia: “At no phase today did we show courage and attitude.”

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·5 settembre 2025

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich on their 2-0 loss to Slovakia: “At no phase today did we show courage and attitude.”

Speaking to ARD (via @iMiaSanMia) following Germany’s 2-0 loss to Slovakia, national captain Joshua Kimmich provided his reaction to the defeat.

In their first World Cup qualifier, Kimmich played as a midfielder, whereas previously, he had played as a right-back. In his place, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nnamdi Collins played as the right-back but was replaced at half-time by David Raum, which then pushed VfB Stuttgart’s Maximilian Mittelstädt onto the right flank.

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On the team’s performance, Kimmich said:

“At no phase today did we show courage and attitude. From the first minute, they had a corner and a chance. It’s not about the system, tactics, back 3 or back 4. It’s about attitude. We have to do better in the next game. We have to support each other and make it easier for each other. We know we had a very bad game, every single individual – pointing the finger at each other won’t get us anywhere. We know today wasn’t enough. We were talking before the game about winning the World Cup, but first we have to qualify. If we play like we did today, then it won’t be easy”

The defeat is Germany’s third in a row, following their losses in the Nations League in the summer against eventual winners Portugal and France in the third-place playoff.

Germany’s next qualifier is on Sunday against Northern Ireland in Köln; their opponents won their opening game of the qualifiers against Luxembourg and currently sit top of the group. On how Germany will approach the game, Kimmich said:

“We’re all aware that today was very bad. We have two days now, everyone should take a look at themselves and think. I’m convinced we’ll show a reaction and a completely different attitude in the next game”

With the World Cup less than nine months away, this result will be a wake-up call for Germany. Considering they have flopped at the past two World Cups, group stage eliminations in both 2018 and 2022, the pressure is already on to perform next summer, especially for a country like Germany which has won the competition four times.

GGFN | Jack Meenan