Joshua Kimmich does not agree with the criticism levelled at Antonio Rüdiger and his role in the German national team.At a press conference ahead of this Friday’s friendly against Switzerland, the DFB captain spoke out in defence of Rüdiger. Following a few missteps at Real Madrid, physical problems and lacklustre performances in his recent appearances for Germany, the 33-year-old faces the prospect of being benched in favour of Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck.Nevertheless, Kimmich is in no doubt: "Toni is a very important player. I sometimes get the feeling that people in Germany forget everything he’s achieved over the last few years. Toni is an undisputed first-team regular at Real Madrid and reaches at least the quarter-finals or semi-finals of the Champions League almost every year. That experience can be a huge help to us in the tournament."National coach Julian Nagelsmann had publicly warned Rüdiger following his outburst in the Spanish Cup final against FC Barcelona at the end of May, saying: "He knows my view that it’s not good and that the limit has been reached. He also knows that this must not happen again, otherwise there will be more serious consequences."Rüdiger had verbally abused the referee and thrown an object at him, and was subsequently banned for six matches. Most recently, he caused a stir with a hard tackle on Getafe’s Rico. Rico accused Rüdiger of trying to “smash my face in”.From a sporting perspective, a debate is emerging ahead of the World Cup over whether Rüdiger is dispensable, given the presence of the duo Tah and Schlotterbeck. Because Nagelsmann is determined to field a left-footed player with build-up qualities in central defence, and Tah is enjoying a stellar debut season at the currently dominant FC Bayern, the former DFB defensive leader faces the prospect of being benched. This is also because he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory during one of his last DFB appearances. Alongside Nnamdi Collins, who was making his debut at the time, Rüdiger in particular cut a very poor figure during the World Cup qualifying debacle in Slovakia. In the victory over Northern Ireland a few days later, Rüdiger then played what was, at the time, his last international matchAfterwards, his body let him down once again. A serious muscle injury sidelined him for almost three months; at the start of the year, it was his knee again, costing him six competitive matches for Real.This is also a cause for concern for the national team manager in this World Cup year, which is why he did not consider it "set in stone" that Rüdiger would return as the national team’s defensive leader. "A lot depends on his performance. I have a great relationship with Antonio, and we have a good dialogue about all aspects of whether he can return in a particular role or not, because he isn’t fit. He had major problems with his knee and it took a long time," said Nagelsmann in his much-discussed kicker interview earlier this month. The 33-year-old’s “great strength” lies in “one-on-one situations in tight spaces. He’s exceptionally good at that, a really good tackler. Antonio has to be 100 per cent fit and healthy. If he has niggles, which he’s had with us at times, he won’t reach his performance limit, and that doesn’t make sense. But he’s on the right track.”Rüdiger himself is aware of the discussions surrounding him with regard to the national team and recently showed understanding. "The discussion shows me once again that I have a responsibility which I haven’t always lived up to. I take serious and objective criticism seriously, because I know myself that I’ve had moments that were clearly over the top. I don’t want to be a source of unrest, but rather provide stability and security."Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting