Lion about Kimmich: “His toxicity has been absent”

National coach Joachim Löw does not regard the upcoming European Championship qualifying matches in Belarus (8 June) and against Estonia (11 June) as a matter of course.

“In the past, when we had a well-rehearsed team, we went to games like this in the conviction that we could get our opponents to play in the course of the game and then beat them,” Löw told the trade magazine kicker (Monday edition): “We were able to win games like this with three or four goals. The current team with a lot of young players, says Löw, “is not yet so stable, this stability and self-confidence still have to develop.”

Löw is missing from the German team at the games due to the after-effects of a sports accident. The interview was conducted before his stay at the clinic. He will be represented at the games in Borissow and Mainz by co-trainer Marcus Sorg.

There was clear praise for Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich. “His poisonousness, aggressiveness and defensive way of thinking were something we missed before,” Löw said. He again gave hope to Mario Götze from Dortmund, who was not recently nominated for the national team. “I’m incredibly happy for him that in the second half of the season he’s making a very well-trained impression again – he remains in our field of vision,” said Löw.