FC Bayern: Again not in the starting XI

Thomas Müller and the bank: This has recently happened more frequently under new coach Thomas Tuchel. How does Tuchel justify this? SPORT1 looks back.

The debut in one coach-player relationship almost couldn’t have gone better.

In the first game under Thomas Tuchel at FC Bayern, Thomas Müller was in the starting XI, scored a brace in the first half and thus made a significant contribution to the 4:2 victory against the direct pursuer from Dortmund delivered.

And since then? Müller was in the starting line-up four more times, played through twice, in the 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim and in the cup defeat against Freiburg.

Müller only came against Hertha on Sunday in the 61st minute of the game. The real surprise, however, were the games in the Champions League: Tuchel did not set up Müller in the first and second leg of the quarter-finals and only substituted him in the final phase (80th and 72nd). The offensive player also played the joker role against Hertha.

Müller is a personality that concerns many experts and Bayern fans. But how does Tuchel think about Müller? What does the coach say about the veteran, how does he explain his role?

SPORTS1 traces the most important Tuchel statements from the past few weeks.

After the 4:2, Tuchel was full of praise. “I’m super happy he’s here. He is a leading player with Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich. He embodies everything we expect from a Bayern player. Professional without end and a certain looseness, tactical understanding and insane diligence. And a very natural self-confidence that he can also have in his career.

And Tuchel was also happy: “First of all, we’re glad that he’s here. No wonder he scores in games like this. We have to get him even closer to the opponent’s goal to give him as many chances as he can play to his great strength. But he was super busy. So when he’s ready, he’s always an issue – of course!”

When Müller surprisingly sat on the bench in the quarter-final first leg against Manchester City, Tuchel agreed Amazon Prime Video as follows: „Thomas Müller, Anm. d. Red.) was a difficult decision. I love Thomas, but we don’t expect a typical Thomas Müller game.”

The 33-year-old is “clever, he knows exactly what kind of game awaits us. So it wasn’t a problem. He knows that the characteristics against Manchester City don’t match his class and his strength 100%.”

In other words: Müller is particularly dangerous in the 30 meters in front of the opposing goal, but one does not expect long periods of ball possession in this zone of the field.

Exactly with this, Tuchel also argued the waiver of Müller from the start in the second leg: “We have few, or no one who is as clever in the box, as brave and as sly as he is. The question is how often are we there.”

At DAZN he explained in more detail why he left out the dangerous ten: “Because I play the same game (as in the first leg) expect! Completely the same game where we actually have to cross the deep possession zone to the goal – the 60 meters – across the halfway line and then to the goal with speed, tempo dribbles and runs. That is the characteristic of the game that Thomas is not tailor-made for.”

Tuchel added: “He is absolutely world class in the last 25 meters, in rebounds, in short, stuck waves, in the very short distances into the box. I believe that we will only get that – if – at the end. And then we have him on the pitch. I would go so far as to say that he would have played in every other possible constellation or game today. That’s obvious. But my feeling is that it’s not a Thomas Müller game today.”

The rest is history, Bayern dropped out of the Champions League, and in the previous cup – with Müller – against Freiburg was the last stop.

How did Mueller react? “I was really happy about his reaction on the training ground. Thomas will never be happy if he doesn’t play, the way he was treated was absolutely exemplary, he pulled the whole team along with him. I was extremely impressed,” said Tuchel.

He himself is “a big Thomas Müller fan”. But, as Tuchel explained, “that’s my job. But it’s all good. Thomas deserves and gets my maximum respect.”

Müller has “an indefinability in world-class form. Nevertheless, I was of the opinion that the characteristics of the Manchester games are not his games, that they do not suit him one hundred percent”.

The Bayern veteran then got the chance again from the start against Mainz – and remained below his capacity at 1: 3.

“He usually makes two or three assists from the positions we found him in today. But it wasn’t supposed to be today.” Müller made “many mistakes” in this game, Tuchel summed up.

A week later, Müller was back on the bench against Hertha BSC.

Jamal Musiala was given the lead, while Tuchel reassured: “Thomas or Jamal is always a tough decision.” With Musiala as ten, they wanted “to have a little more runs in it”.

Here, too, Tuchel tried to argue for Müller in a situational way: “I could imagine if we didn’t manage to score early and have the chest solver, that he would be a good changer, who would then come in with confidence and experience and maybe one more.” Abstauber pushes over the line when the others are perhaps already nervous”.

After all, Müller came on the field in the 61st minute with the score 0-0, only 18 minutes later the game was decided 2-0 in favor of FC Bayern – even if the 33-year-old did not contribute to the goal.

After the win the trainer explained surprisingly: “Müller is carrying around a bit of back problems. He won’t train tomorrow either, he needs a few days’ rest.”

Nothing was previously known about an injury.