Joshua Kimmich Won 2 of 7 Duels in Bayern's 4:5 Loss
joshua kimmich had a quiet night by his standards in Bayern Munich’s 4:5 match against Paris Saint-Germain. Midway through the first half, he had fewer touches than almost any Bayern player, and he finished the game with only two duel wins from seven tries.
Bayern’s Midfield Lost Its Grip
Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović usually set Bayern’s tempo, but this game never settled into that pattern. Both sides played with an extremely offensive system, and much of the action moved down the flanks instead of through the center.
That left Kimmich less involved than Bayern usually need him to be. At one point in the first half, only Harry Kane had fewer touches among Bayern players, and Kimmich’s two successful duels matched his weakest figure this season with a comparable number of battles.
Criticism Around The Center
Stefan Kumberger described him as “not the great conductor or the metronome in midfield,” while Wayne Rooney and Clarence Seedorf criticized the lack of control in the center. Alessandro Melli called the match the “new NBA” and pushed the same point about balance.
Vincent Kompany stayed measured ahead of the second leg, saying “not everything is black or white,” and Luis Enrique answered the criticism with, “If it’s a shitty opinion, you don’t have to respect it.” Both coaches said before the return leg that they were not willing to change or adapt their playing DNA.
Kimmich Still Runs Bayern
The numbers from this game do not change Kimmich’s place in Bayern’s build-up play. They do show how quickly an open Champions League match can pull one of the team’s main pacesetters away from the center of the action, even in a game that ended 4:5.
For Bayern, the bigger takeaway is not a season-long verdict on Kimmich or Pavlović. It is that a match built on speed, flank attacks, and constant switching can leave the midfield without the control Bayern normally expect from their two organizers.
