Joshua Kimmich was 13 years old when Spain won the 2008 Euro Cup, he was 14 and 16 when Barça lifted the Champions League in Rome and Wembley with Guardiola and 15 when the team became world champions in South Africa. The Bayern midfielder cannot hide that that style of play impressed him. “Barça marked me and also the Spanish team that won three consecutive titles,” he revealed at the Bavarian team’s concentration hotel.
Bayern’s 6 did not hide its weakness for that Barcelona’s 6. “Xavi was my idol when I was little. I always loved watching their games,” he added in his analysis. “When Pep was the coach, Barcelona was a revolution because of how they dominated their rivals. Even now it continues to be a reference,” he added.
We must not forget that later, at the age of 20, it was the Santpedor coach who made him debut in September 2015 with Bayern.
However, despite being a confessed admirer, the footballer did not want to talk about Barça’s interest in signing him in the last two summers. “I know that I have been linked to Barça. It is a big club with a very rich tradition. In football you can never make the mistake of discarding things. But I’m going to be direct: I’m not thinking about that right now,” he made clear, without wanting to comment on the negotiations to renew his contract, which ends in June 2025.
In fact, this season he has not yet been able to see a Barcelona game, so he knows Marc Casadó well. “I’ve heard of that resemblance. “I have children at home and I haven’t had time to watch Barça games,” he apologized.
The one who has studied and analyzed his rival the most is Vincent Kompany, Bayern’s coach, who is impressed by Barcelona’s new talents. “It is exceptional that so soon after the departure of Messi, who was a key figure in world football, they already have a player who can replace him like Lamine Yamal. All my respects to La Masia for believing in the players and giving them the opportunity,” he exclaimed. “But we don’t want to stop one player but rather the entire Barça.”
But Kompany was a great center back at Anderlecht and Manchester City and has a special predilection for another young Barça youth player: Cubarsí. “He will be one of the defensive leaders in world football. I was fortunate to start young but not at this level, in one of the best leagues. If he doesn’t have injuries he will be a great player,” he predicted.
The Bayern coach assured that the figure of Hansi Flick, who won the six possible titles in the 20-21 season, is still very present in Munich. The Montjuïc duel will be a duel to see who imposes their style, especially after both arrive with a defeat already in the Champions League. “I don’t think they are going to adapt, but rather they are going to play attacking and aggressive,” he warned.
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