Thomas Müller calls his Bavarians a “transfer summer with an exclamation mark”. The world champion on the new stars, Lewandowski’s departure and applause for Brazzo.
BILD am SONNTAG: Bayern without Lewandowski – is that possible?
Thomas Müller (32): Definitely! Everyone involved has made the decision that Lewy will leave the club. There were good reasons for this. But of course we don’t know what’s in store for us when a man who’s been good for 30-50 goals a year in all competitions is no longer on the pitch.
What do you think “the new FC Bayern”, as Julian Nagelsmann called it, will look like?
I’ve already broken it down a bit logically for myself. We’re not playing with ten men now because Lewy is gone. Of course, a lot of balls went to him. But there will be another player there in the future. To put it bluntly: the ball stays in play and hopefully the opponent won’t always have it instead of Lewy. Opportunities and closing opportunities will arise for another of us up ahead. It will definitely be different, that’s for sure.
Lewandowski himself said in SPORT BILD: Thomas is now scoring more goals …
That’s quite possible. Our game was tailored to Lewy, albeit perhaps subconsciously. We never made a match plan based on the motto: “From that point on, the ball has to be on him.” But if you know that you have such a dangerous striker in the box, then at some point you consciously play the ball there. And try to bring him into play. The statics of our game presentation will inevitably change now, it will be exciting to see how and where we develop on offense in the coming months. But positively exciting! Our goal must be that we don’t sit together again in six months and say: Phew, now we’re missing the goals, we have a problem…
How can we prevent this?
The future will tell. Maybe we’ll actually score fewer goals than before. But that doesn’t mean that we will be any less successful as a team. For example, Mario Mandzukic came in 2012 and replaced Mario Gomez in the center. Mandzukic wasn’t the better striker, he didn’t have better scoring stats than Mario, on the contrary. But somehow we were almost invincible as a team in this special treble year 2012/13.
In terms of goals scored and conceded for each other, you and Lewandowski are way ahead in the statistics. Aren’t you wistful about that?
Sure, we had a great and special bond on the pitch. But that has developed. It’s not like Lewy came from Dortmund and we were a well-rehearsed duo. In the end it was blind understanding, we both had a good feeling about where the other was and how he was doing. We looked for each other on the square. We come from the same age structure, where a header goal is still part of the curriculum…
… is that no longer the case today?
Let me put it this way: The search for classic strikers has broken out worldwide. That has its reasons. Lewy and I were on the same wavelength about this.
Was he THE teammate of your career?
There are several to name. Overall, I fought the most common battles with Manuel (Neuer; ed.) and developed a special relationship of trust. In terms of direct connection on the field, it’s definitely been Lewy in recent years, yes. Before that, when the golden days of my Bayern era began, when we climbed into the top three in Europe, Arjen (Robben), Philipp (Lahm) and I were also a very well-rehearsed and special trio on the right-hand side in terms of understanding the game. On the left were David (Alaba) and Franck (Ribéry), they did well together, we needed one more on the right. (laughs) Basti (Schweinsteiger) was also a very special player in my career.
With Sadio Mané, do you have the feeling that this connection can exist?
It could be very good between us, but it’s still too early to say or make any big announcements. Sadio is a great guy, that’s noticeable. He laughs a lot, he’s not careful at all. He has no reason to, he’s not 20 anymore. He’s really got something on his plate when it comes to success. He feels comfortable with us, he was in Salzburg and knows the region a bit.
Does he already understand the Müller sayings?
He already understands German quite well. Sadio said we should give him a couple of weeks and then he’ll be back to full strength.
It is noticeable that he goes full throttle when pressing.
Basically, he is a player who is absolutely physically fit. And I’ll put it this way: If you’ve played under Jürgen Klopp for years, it can be assumed that attacking pressing and counter-pressing are terms you’ve heard before.
In Liverpool it is always said that the most important transfer in recent years was defender Virgil van Dijk. Can Matthijs de Ligt become Bayern’s king transfer?
I can understand the question well, but that has to crystallize first, that’s a dream of the future. We definitely have top players for our defence. At the end of the day, it’s not just about having top players, but about getting things done as a team so that the defense can shine. I thought about that too last summer…
About what exactly?
For years, our external image has always been about the fact that we have a somewhat vulnerable defensive line. But you also have to say: If you cultivate a style of play that lets you score roughly 100 goals, then you don’t stand with the defense behind the penalty area and you can always defend forwards. But you often have 40 meters of playing field behind you and are perhaps more susceptible to counterattacks. You automatically get into uncomfortable situations more often than if you cultivate an Italian style and first form up at the back.
How do you rate De Ligt’s transfer, which costs 67m plus a possible 10m in bonuses?
One thing is clear: With the transfer of Matthijs, the club has already set an example. On the one hand to the outside, but also to us on the inside.
No more excuses?
We never had excuses. But the sails are perhaps even more clearly set in the direction of success. There is no left and no right! That must be clear to us players. It’s a special year, the World Cup year. You can clearly see that the club has also made a statement. And accordingly, that should be a signal for us players to do our part so that we can have maximum success in the end.
Is the whole thing the biggest cut in your Bayern time?
It’s definitely a transfer summer with exclamation marks!
There was a lot of talk about exciting BVB transfers this summer. Is that your reaction now?
I see it more as a reaction to the fact that we weren’t satisfied with our second half of the season and with our performance in the Champions League. That wasn’t our aim. In my understanding of FCB, it should always be about sweeping your own front door rather than worrying too much about others. That is also the case now and therefore no answer to Dortmund. But I think it’s good that things are moving at BVB too. It is not known whether BVB will therefore get ten more points. But it’s good for the league. There is anticipation and excitement in the air!
Will Julian Nagelsmann continue to develop in his second season?
Everyone evolves. You probably develop even faster with setbacks than without. At least that’s how it was for me. You already have more alarm systems inside you that then say: Oh, what can I change, what can I add? I think our coach thinks the same way.
Hasan Salihamidzic received a lot of criticism for a long time, now he brought in two top stars with de Ligt and Mané. How do you monitor its development?
I’ve been around long enough and know the ups and downs of the business. I’m happy for Brazzo that some top transfers have already worked out and the wind is now blowing from a positive direction. Now it’s up to us to do something about it.
Can you feel that the tingling is bigger, that there is more pressure?
Irrespective of the transfers, it was clear that after the disappointments in spring, the feeling must be in summer: Attack, we want to attack again, again, and go one step further. And the transfers are also a signal.
Will Bayern’s championship streak break again while you’re still playing?
I don’t intend to. If I had to bet, I would say no!
This article comes from BILD am SONNTAG. The ePaper of the entire issue is available here.
