Kimmich review! Is Basel right?
Leader Kimmich shines: historic performance against Hertha
Manuel Habermeier
Joshua Kimmich is a corner kicker at FC Bayern Munich. A decision that Mario Basler cannot understand at all. SPORT1 does the fact check.
As a player, Mario Basler was known for his dangerous free kicks and corner kicks. In the 1994/95 season he scored 20 goals – level with Heiko Herrlich von Borussia Monchengladbach – the scorer cannon. He managed a special feat: he pocketed the ball three times this season with a direct corner kick.
No wonder, then, that the 54-year-old, who is in the Bundesliga also for three years FC Bayern Munich accrued, has a special eye on the current corner kickers.
Joshua Kimmich in particular caught his eye – but not positively. “I’m curious to see how long Joshua Kimmich will be able to take corners from both sides,” he explained table football and added: “It’s completely disappointing how they’re shot. Too little happens there. I sit on the couch during the games and just wonder.”
But is the criticism of the Bayern star justified? SPORT1 check the facts.
After 31 matchdays, the record champion already scored seven goals from a corner. According to the data collector Sportec Solutions is the league best. Only the 1.FC Union Berlin was allowed to cheer just as often after a corner kick. This puts the Munich team well above the league average. It stands for four hits after crosses from the flag.
Joshua Kimmich far better than the league average
Even the club’s own statistics surpass the Munich this season. Since data collection began in 1992, the Reds have scored 5.3 corner goals per season. They’ve scored almost two more goals this season.
And particularly important with a view to Basler’s Kimmich criticism: All seven corners that led to goals were brought in by Bayern’s number six. With every 27th corner, the Rottweiler finds a teammate who puts the leather into the net. The Bayern average is almost 31 corners for a goal. In a league comparison, Kimmich’s danger from the corner flag becomes even clearer. Spread across the 18 teams, only every 38th corner finds its way into the goal.
In general, the 28-year-old shows a good foot from the corner flag. Kimmich hit Bayern’s last 25 successful corners since the start of the 2020 calendar year.
His representatives – Kimmich missed 20 competitive games during this time – could not claim a single assist after a corner kick.
Kimmich surpasses Mario Basler from the corner flag
A total of 36 Kimmich corners have already led to a goal. This is a record since data collection. He has thus surpassed the previous best value of – of all people – Basler. During his time in the Bundesliga, he prepared 32 goals per corner.
But Kimmich not only surpasses his critics in terms of sheer numbers, he is also better off on average than the two-time German champion. With 886 corners in the league so far, every 25th of them resulted in a goal. With Basler, who hit 1,105 corners in the Bundesliga in his career, only every 35th cross was successful.
Even Manni Bender, who supported Basler’s Kimmich criticism, cannot keep up with these numbers. Bender, who was German champion with FC Bayern in 1989 and 1990, has been responsible for 455 corners since the start of data collection, from which only ten goals resulted. The native of Munich needed a total of 46 crosses for a goal assist.
When it comes to the numbers Basler’s wish will probably not be granted. Rather, Kimmich will also play against Schalke 04 on Saturday (from 3.30 p.m. in SPORT1-live ticker) run to the corner flag to put the ball in the penalty area.