"That makes his task particularly difficult": former Germany captains Oliver Kahn and Michael Ballack weigh in on the debate surrounding Joshua Kimmich

Former national team captains Oliver Kahn and Michael Ballack took a decidedly critical view of the current discussion surrounding Joshua Kimmich. The DFB captain, however, emerged only moderately well from it.

"Klopp has left him out a little for these two games to see how the group functions without him," Ballack said on Sunday on RTL about the Bayern star, who against his will was not included in national coach Jürgen Klopp's second squad.

"That does not weaken him," Ballack stressed, however, during the build-up to the Nations League rematch in Greece, "and I also do not see anyone who could replace him at the moment."

Klopp is testing his options. "He is pursuing a two-track approach, and I think that is absolutely fine." Accordingly, the discussion is coming "at the wrong time".

Kahn also still sees DFB captain Kimmich as an important player for the national team. After a change of national coach, however, everyone has to prove themselves all over again: "Everyone has to get the feeling that they have to earn their status."

Still, Kahn does not think Kimmich is in an easy position because he has "had the misfortune to play in national teams that were not particularly successful. For a leadership figure like Joshua, it is important that the others look up to him. And he lacks those successes for that. That makes his task particularly difficult. You have to ask the question: Is that the optimal solution?"

Is Kimmich world-class as a number six, Michael Ballack?

Ballack also does not see Kimmich as beyond question. The 50-year-old sidestepped the question of whether he considered Kimmich world-class in the number six role and explained that he rated the 31-year-old more highly as a right-back, "with all his qualities, that is also how he developed. In that role he was world-class for me."

Meanwhile, Lothar Matthäus sees Kimmich as "naturally a certain starter if he produces the performance". If someone else, however, performs more strongly in the captain's position in defensive midfield, the record international said, "Kimmich will find it difficult". In the 2-0 win against Serbia, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Tom Bischof had impressed.

So far, Klopp has played down the discussion over whether Kimmich is still needed. He swatted away those questions during his press conference on Saturday. "I give up. Do what you want," he said.