Isn’t he truly an unstoppable force? Anyone who watched Thomas Müller lead Bayern Munich to victory against SSV Ulm in the DFB-Pokal may have been reminded of any of his 15-year career highlights for Bayern.
The image of the Bavarian #25 leading the press, giving orders, and recklessly throwing himself at an opposing player has been a constant feature of the unstoppable German’s game, even though certain aspects have evolved throughout time. It’s his attitude; he still exudes a childlike joy but also possesses an adult maturity that makes for a wonderful blend.
And when Kompany was questioned about Müller following the game, as seen by @iMiaSanMia, he emphasized that mindset—even leaving out the two goals he scored. The Belgian coach appeared to be particularly struck by something else as well: “Thomas is a player who is always motivated.” He treated today like it was the Champions League championship game, and he performed accordingly. That’s precisely the mindset we require.
That mindset is encouraging for the future and helped Bayern win easily today. We’ll have to wait and see if it can propel Bayern to a real Champions League final and assist the team win the Finale Dahoam.
Now we know what Thomas Müller does, or do we?
Thomas Müller, a veteran of Bayern Munich, stated in an interview prior to the match that he was still unsure of his exact position under Vincent Kompany. Some have conjectured that Müller is nearing the end of his career, intending to retire the following summer.
All those stories have now been resolved by this game. It’s obvious that Vincent Kompany has intentions for Thomas Müller. There’s just one more thing to wonder: precisely where does he play? The 34-year-old began the match against Ulm as a central striker, with Jamal Musiala lining up behind him and Mathys Tel and Serge Gnabry on each flank. Then, in the seventieth minute or so, the coach replaced Musiala with Harry Kane, and Müller took up position next to him to establish a 4-2-4-style two-striker formation.
Müller continued to play the same way he usually has, using his movement and vision to take advantage of holes in the opposition defense, but it is still unclear where he was exactly on the field. Harry Kane appears to be an advanced attacking midfielder when he plays. Musiala plays like a real striker—or, at the very least, a false nine—when he plays.
What occurs then when Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane play together? With both of them available and fit, does Thomas Müller find a spot on the starting eleven, or does he slide to the bench? He’s making a compelling argument for his inclusion for the time being; we’ll have to wait and see what Kompany decides.
