Joshua Kimmich Agrees With Toni Kroos on What Germany Needs to Succeed Under Jurgen Klopp. For Germany, a lack of talent has rarely been the main problem.
Yet, following a series of disappointing tournament campaigns, most recently Germany’s Round of 32 exit against Paraguay at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Nationalmannschaft stands at a critical crossroads.
As Jurgen Klopp begins his tenure, Germany captain Joshua Kimmich has echoed a message similar to Toni Kroos’ assessment: tactical organisation and technical potential alone will not return Germany to the top of international football.
To compete for major honours again, Germany needs character, physical resilience and a stronger sense of identity when representing the national team.
Joshua Kimmich on Why Talent Alone Is Not Enough for Germany
As Germany’s captain, Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich emphasised that assembling talented individuals without establishing a shared identity is unlikely to produce success.
"We have a lot of talent and potential in the team. But talent alone often remains just theoretical," Kimmich told RTL/Sky Germany.
"It takes character and mentality to get the very best out of that talent. I see that as part of my role as captain. We need to rebuild that sense of identification, so that being here and representing the national team feels special to every player. From what I’ve seen over the first few days, everyone seems genuinely happy to be back."
For Kimmich, the immediate priority under Klopp is cultural rather than tactical. Re-establishing a sense of privilege and responsibility around representing Germany would provide a foundation for the team’s rebuild.
Toni Kroos and Michael Ballack on Germany’s Mentality and Quality
Kimmich’s call for character echoes the assessments made by 2014 World Cup winner Toni Kroos and former Germany captain Michael Ballack following the team’s exit.
Analysing Germany's struggles against physical opponents like Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Paraguay during the World Cup, Kroos pulled no punches on his podcast (Kroos & Kroos: die WM unter der Lupe):
"We don’t currently have a single world-class player," Kroos stated. "We have players with world-class potential, but that doesn’t mean they are world-class. The world-class players are deciding all the World Cup matches right now... We don’t have a single one there, we have to be honest about that."
Kroos also contrasted the current squad’s response to adversity with that of the Germany team that won the World Cup in Brazil in 2014: "We used to have games where we played poorly — against Algeria, for example. But we were still able to win those games. I don’t think the team has that ability right now... This is a group that gives it their all, but we’re just not a physical team."
Joining the chorus, Michael Ballack pointed out how quickly the team collapses at the first sign of adversity, noting that traditional German virtues have slipped away: "Our virtues, which have always distinguished Germany, have been somewhat lost," Ballack lamented.
"We start well, have ten, twenty good minutes... But with the first action where we concede a goal or make a mistake, the whole thing collapses."
A coach is incredibly important, but the players also handle a great deal themselves on the pitch — or rather, they have to. This self-responsibility simply must be there."
3 Lessons Young Players Can Learn From Germany’s Struggles
Potential is Not Performance: Having technical skill means little if it cannot survive physical friction and high-pressure tournament conditions. Young players must build physical duel resilience alongside ball control.
Self-Responsibility on the Pitch: Leaders do not wait for tactical substitutions when momentum shifts; they communicate, adjust body language, and reset the tempo internally.
Pride and Identity Drive Performance: Representing a team, whether a local club or a national side demands emotional investment and collective pride, which directly influences work rate out of possession.
