Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich has responded to the harsh criticism leveled against him by sporting director Max Eberl. In the 23rd round of the German Bundesliga, in the match against Eintracht which ended 3:2, Kimmich's risky pass led to the opponent scoring a goal.
Idman.Biz reports that Max Eberl called the episode "hara-kiri" and accused Kimmich of taking unnecessary risks. Kimmich, in turn, disagreed with this criticism, saying that avoiding risky decisions could harm the team's playing identity.
"If we act cautiously and don't take risks every time, then the opponents will press us more and more easily. Our style of play is to play with the ball and get out of situations with football. Too cautious decisions can destroy our football identity," Kimmich told reporters.
It should be noted that in the episode in question, Kimmich made a risky pass to Kim Min-Jae inside the penalty area under pressure from the opponent, as a result of which the opponent player Arnaud Kalimuendo took possession of the ball and scored a goal. When talking about this, Eberl emphasized that defenders sometimes just need to "put out the fire" and clear the ball.