Jamal Musiala’s narrow shoulders: is hopeful falling into a hole?

Updated on 12/04/2022 12:02 p.m

• After the World Cup, the national players deal with the disappointment differently.
• An important question: How does hopeful Jamal Musiala package the dangerous combination of burden, hype, frustration and unexpected setback?
• For the early and special pressure, the 19-year-old acquired a special mindset early on.

The pity is there immediately, one would like to Jamal Musiala just take it in your arms. comfort him. Talk well, rebuild. He bravely struggled through the interview on “MagentaTV” for almost two minutes after the World Cup. In the end, the 19-year-old no longer knows what to answer. He tries, thinks, but his head is somewhere else. The mixture of helplessness and sadness hurts to watch.

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Is there a change towards the home EM? And why are Bayern players doing well in the Champions League but not in the national team? “I don’t know,” the young star simply replied to the two questions. You can feel how deep the disappointment is, you can literally touch the emptiness. He had already collapsed on the pitch after the final whistle. He somehow tried to realize what was incomprehensible to him at the moment: The World Cup is over for the shooting star and the DFB team after the preliminary round. A disaster in the collective, but also a sporting catastrophe for each individual.

Lots of verbal hugs

Musiala was very well received after the 4-2 win, which could not prevent the end. The 19-year-old was repeatedly hugged verbally. “It’s difficult to single out someone after a game like that. But you have to say that it’s a real shame that a player like Jamal can’t play at this World Cup anymore. He’s just fantastic,” said the national coach Hansi Flick.

Musiala carried the hopes of the DFB-Elf in this tournament on his narrow shoulders, balanced the huge expectations, accepted the pressure and, for the most part, endured it. He didn’t disappoint, he proved again and again how important he is, how strong he is, how much potential he has, and that at only 19 years of age. The superlatives knew no bounds, and neither did the praise. compare to Lionel Messi, horrendous transfer fees, plus wild transfer rumors. Musiala here, Bambi there. The nation sensed that a real beacon of hope was growing up.

But the sport is relentless, the ridge is narrow and the height of the fall is huge. Already on the pitch you suffered with him. They wished the so experienced and playful magician a goal, they longed for the knot solver with every minute of the game. But “the pressure on him increased from the first to the second to the third game. Musiala didn’t play as carefree as at Bayern Munich,” wrote our columnist Olaf Thon. Also because others didn’t step into the breach enough, playfully took on little responsibility and took some of the burden off him. Fluctuations in performance – and missed opportunities – are completely normal at this age.

Olaf Thon: “The head was involved”

Even with ex-national players Thon there is pity on the playmaker. “He could have been the player of the tournament. That was where his head came into play,” Thon believes. And for ex-national coaches Jürgen Klinsmann it was “not fair” that Musiala “had to experience at the World Cup that almost the entire team was dependent on him”. He wrote in his newsletter column for Britain’s BBC: “I hope that doesn’t put him off his game.”

These are the big questions: How will Musiala deal with this experience? What does it mean to him that he is considered the new beacon of hope in German football? Can he continue his brilliant performances of the past few weeks after the winter break?

Because of course: In football, a lot happens in the head, the psyche is essential. And it is also clear that when a seasoned player like Joshua Kimmich talks about the most difficult day of his career and about the fear of falling into a hole, you inevitably ask yourself: How does a 19-year-old deal with the setback, with the emotional brutality , the workup? And the task of saving German football?

The example of Mario Götze after the 2014 World Cup shows that this can not only be a pleasure, but also a burden. It may not be fair, but in the case of Musiala it is the expected reflex of a nation that has faced a few unexpected disappointments since the tournament in Brazil had to deal with in major tournaments. It is therefore not surprising that a gem like Musiala is quickly identified as a football fixture, including in the media.

focus on yourself

What helps: Musiala’s education in England. “Play with freedom – play freely” was a saying “that they often repeated and that I have tried to implement throughout my career and that will always be a part of me,” he revealed in Qatar. To do this, he only focuses on himself. He concentrates on what he can influence. His game, his emotions, his thoughts.

It will be important that he doesn’t shoulder most of the blame for the end. After the Spain game he was already at odds with himself because of missed chances, but he is not the bogeyman, but the beacon of hope. One who is fortunately self-critical and reflective and has already learned in Munich how to deal with great pressure and huge expectations. A setback like the one in Qatar can be turned into positivity with an open analysis.

Because with his learned and often tried-and-tested mindset, he already smiled away well-intentioned, but of course potentially overwhelming comparisons with Messi. “I think comparisons with Messi are always an honor. But Messi has been playing at a top level all his life. I think no matter which player you compare to Messi, it’s a bit difficult,” he said, adding : “I focus on myself, what I can do better than Jamal.” So he can do one thing above all from the World Cup: learn.

Attitude gives courage

The words of Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann also give encouragement that Musiala will not fall into a hole and, above all, will keep his carefree spirit. Because the fact that he is so successful is due to his character, says Nagelsmann, “because he is simply very humble and wants to train a lot. He always asks for extra training and an extra video. He is not one who just surfs the wave of success and does nothing about it “said Nagelsman. “He invests very, very much and is rewarded for it.”

That’s why Thon is also optimistic: “He will grow and be the leading man in the German midfield at the European Championships.”

Sources used:

• YouTube: Jamal Musiala after the World Cup | FIFA World Cup 2022 | MAGENTA TV
• BBC: World Cup 2022: Jurgen Klinsmann answers your questions
• press conferences