Thomas Müller had been in Bayern Munich’s first team for only a few months when Louis van Gaal, never reluctant to boast about bringing a young player through, gave the then 20-year-old attacking midfielder one of the ultimate compliments. “Thomas Müller always plays,” the Dutch coach said, leaving in no doubt which word most emphasis was placed on.
For Pep Guardiola it was the same, too – until the spring when he, at the time inexplicably, dropped the self-appointed Raumdeuter, or space investigator, to the bench; most notably for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final defeat to Atlético Madrid but also in a pair of Bundesliga games in early spring, against Bayer Leverkusen and Mainz. Eyebrows were raised, shock was pronounced and, for once, there were questions over a tactical decision made by Guardiola. Bayern failed to win any of those three matches but did the manager see the signs?
There has been a concerning, irrefutable dip since that 1-0 loss to Diego Simeone’s team on 27 April. Müller still scored 32 times, his best return, but had less of an impact as Bayern’s campaign wore down – scoring only four in the final two months of the season. For club and country he has converted just once in his last 11 matches, discounting the penalty shootout in the German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund.
But when it comes to Germany, who face France in the Euro 2016 semi-final in Marseille on Thursday,, Joachim Löw will say the same as his old club managers. Müller always plays.
Even when he is out of touch in front of goal, the 26-year-old is a – if not the – pivotal figure in die Nationalmannschaft’s lineup. And perhaps never more so than on Thursday when a squad hampered by injuries and suspension to key figures requires a leader to take control.
Still, symptomatic of his form, an unwanted record remains; lurking around every corner in France, ready to jump up and remind him. A player who has 10 goals in two World Cups and a scorer of nine from nine appearances in qualifying for this tournament has yet to find the net deep into his second European Championship.
Against France, due to Mario Gomez’s injury, he may move to the point of the attack, especially with Mario Götze, the other option, in even flimsier form.
Yet Müller, the sometimes mischievous, sometimes brazen but always assiduous unlikely star, does not appear overly perturbed by the furore.
Confidence is not an issue and each time a question about the barren run is asked, he takes a utilitarian view. “Goals are not the fuel in my tank, they are the paint on the car to make it look better,” he said on Tuesday. “My fuel is my hunger for success. We came here as world champions, and it’s pretty extraordinary to win back-to-back titles, although Spain have only recently achieved it.”
Müller’s body language also suggests the dry spell is not an overburdening weight. He remains jocular in press conferences and, among his most unheralded skills, the ability to wind up opponents is untainted. There was, to take one example, that immense moment of comedy against Italy when he made a crying baby face at Giorgio Chiellini after a coming together in which the defender exaggerated the contact.
But there is still something amiss in front of goal. What are the causes? Fatigue may be playing a part. It has been a common theme throughout the tournament – many of the big players, such as his Bayern team-mate Robert Lewandowski, have appeared worn down by the demands. “You just come up for air, and you get pushed under the water immediately,” Müller said this week about the endless cycle.
Before Portugal knocked out Poland in the quarter-finals, Lewandowski had recorded 4,106 minutes for club and country this season, and although Müller trails behind, 3,751 is still a lot to have on the clock.
His energy levels remain impressively high, though, and his role is evidently not solely about scoring. Defensively, his input remains great and it is worth noting that he has made more successful tackles than any of his team-mates. Of the four teams to reach the semi-final, only Wales’s James Chester has made more. When Löw matched Italy’s three-man defence last Saturday, Müller dropped deeper – operating on occasion, especially later in the game, as an auxiliary right-back to aid Joshua Kimmich.
Chance creation has not been an issue either, and it is somewhat surprising to find that his average attempts at this tournament work out at 3.2 per game. At the World Cup two years ago, it was 2.3. He has hit the post twice, but ultimately from 19 attempts has found the target just four times. It would be unfair to read too much into the (albeit lacklustre) penalty against Gigi Buffon.
Numbers, however, only partially tell the story. Far more telling has been Löw’s reaction, undisputedly aided by their results, to Müller’s drought. “I’m not worried,” the coach said, aware that a rare talent remains crucial irrespective of his misplaced shooting boots.
Müller is still causing defenders problems with those unpredictable runs and that canny ability to pop up in the least expected positions.
And how could one forget the last time Germany were in a semi-final, that brutal assassination of Brazil two years ago? Müller was the one to set the tone, scoring the opening goal. He may always play but he is suited for the big occasion and possesses the unwavering mental fortitude to come good when most needed. “I might not get the best ratings in the media if we win the final without a goal of mine,” he said this week. “But I will still take the trophy back home.”
