Julian Nagelsmann advised to drop Joshua Kimmich tactic as ex-star says Leon Goretzka is a victim of Germany and Bayern Munich team-mate

Former Germany international Mario Basler has openly questioned Germany coach Nagelsmann’s handling of Kimmich, warning that the captain's freedom in midfield is unsettling the national team. Speaking on his Basler ballert podcast, the ex-Bayern star argued that Goretzka is becoming a victim of Nagelsmann’s tactical choices, while also proposing a bold alternative to drop Kimmich and instead pair Goretzka with Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller.

The criticism comes despite Kimmich impressing in Germany’s 3-1 win against Northern Ireland, where he dictated play in midfield and complemented Serge Gnabry’s goalscoring return. Even so, the debate around Germany’s midfield balance, and whether Goretzka has been unfairly sidelined, is intensifying.

Basler did not hold back in his assessment of Kimmich’s role, saying on his podcast: "We're opening up unnecessary holes again, even with Kimmich at midfield, who's running around everywhere again, taking every corner, wanting to take every free kick. He's running over to the right, running over to the left. I can't understand why they're completely rebuilding everything again."

On Goretzka’s situation, he added: "At Bayern, when he plays alongside Kimmich, he's always substituted, not Kimmich, but him. Kimmich can play however he wants, even on the national team. If things go badly, Goretzka is always the one who gets substituted. He then doesn't get to play the next game.

"Goretzka and Stiller would be a combination. Stiller has already shown that he can play this position excellently. You have to give these guys self-confidence. You have to say, you're my two midfielders, you're my starting six."

And he also warned about Kimmich’s dominance in selection: "But if you keep having Kimmich breathing down your neck and the national coach then puts Kimmich back on the six, then one of the two has to be out again."

Germany are still searching for consistency under Nagelsmann, with the team struggling to fully convince after mixed results in World Cup qualifying. One of the core questions has revolved around midfield composition and whether Kimmich should remain an automatic starter, but that status has seemingly come at the expense of Goretzka, who has found himself rotated, substituted, or benched in both Bayern and national team contexts.

For Germany, the bigger challenge is immediate, which is finding the right midfield balance ahead of the next round of World Cup qualifiers in October. And, Nagelsmann must decide whether to stick with Kimmich at the heart of midfield, or risk shaking things up by trusting Goretzka and emerging figures like Stiller.