“Thomas Müller’s FIFA rating is so good because he is invariably bad at everything.”
If you ask yourself following questions- “Is Müller a winger/a striker/an attacking midfielder?”; the answer is going to be NO/NOT REALLY. Then what is it that makes Müller such a special player? To Pep Guardiola he became an asset, to Ancelotti, pinpointing his position has become a headache.
The fact that Ancelotti decided to bench Müller speaks a lot. Müller was obviously frustrated-“I don’t know exactly what qualities the coach wants to see. Apparently mine are not 100% in demand.” As Juanma Lillo says, a coach should not impose his system on the players. A coach is merely a facilitator. The system should be chosen based on the players you have, so that it helps the player bring out the best in him. I view this not as Müller being unable to fit in Ancelotti’s system but more as Ancelotti being unable to find a system to support him. How? It will soon be evident as we go ahead.
“Ich bin ein Raumdeuter.” Müller answered the question himself when asked about his role. The word Raumdeuter would translate to something like “Interpreter of Space”. That’s it. I hardly think of anyone else who has described his own game with such an accuracy, with just a single word. And thus, Thomas Müller is the first and as of now, the only Raumdeuter in that sense.
What does that mean? What does a Raumdeuter (which at the moment only means Müller) do? Unlike roles like Regista, Trequartista, Libero etc, Raumdeuter is a loose term. It’s not a tactical aspect of a system but more like description of what a player provides. Being an interpreter of Space, he reads the game, occupies or creates Space, makes intelligent runs, gets at the end of decisive passes and grabs the opportunity at right time. Again, quoting Müller himself, “It’s all about the timing between the person who plays the pass and the person making a run into the right zone.”
He doesn’t do extravagant skills like Neymar, isn’t powerful like (any) Ronaldo, not as fast as Bale, may not look as graceful a passer as Pirlo. At times, what he does looks shabby, raw, unpolished and yet it’s effective, in fact extremely effective, yet he is unique. Having the ability to read the game, occupy the right areas on the pitch, and elusively avoid the attention of defenders is a talent that only a select few players possess.
Müller broke into Bayern first team under Louis van Gaal. And under Guardiola, the evolution into the first Raumdeuter was complete. By the time Pep arrived at Bayern, he had already top scored at 2010 World Cup, featured prominently in Jupp Heynckes’ treble-winning team, and had already demonstrated on numerous occasions his uncanny ability to find Space. Müller personified the thunderous German Football. Pep arrived at Bayern after coaching the most technically gifted lot of players, coming from Masia. At Bayern, he was there to learn too, not just to transfer the Barça Blueprint at Bayern.
In his first season, Pep experimented with him as a striker, winger, attacking midfielder and even as an inside midfielder. What he realised was, when in midfield, Thomas had an instinct to leave his place and move forward. When playing as a forward, he tried to play a bit deeper.
“I don’t enjoy being classed as a striker. I don’t see myself as one. I like to be active in space in behind the opposition’s midfield. That’s where I can hurt the opponent most of all. I’m a mix between a striker and a midfielder.” -as he has himself said.
We all remember the match Guardiola instructed Messi to move from Right wing to Centre. Messi went on to become the most successful False 9 in the world. This time, at Bayern, Pep created what Marti Perarnau calls an “ecosystem” for attackers. Müller started out wide, and moved towards the centre whenever the opportunity arrived. And he ended up scoring. The goals may not be spectacular, but what he did was undoubtedly effective. In his final season at Bayern, Pep was finally able to find the most effective solution.
His 2-3-5 formation, with 2 wide men meant Müller got to play a more centrally, pairing up with Lewandowski. The full backs pushing high up the pitch, occupying the half spaces and wingers maintaining width meant Müller got the space to roam in the centre. He may not have been much involved in build ups as compared to midfielders and full backs. But he was always there pressing, moving in right areas and creating space for his teammates.
The system ended up maximising Müller’s potential and it also helped him become more and more confident. In 2016-17 he ended up finding back of the net 32 times in 49 games.
https://vimeo.com/161021860
Under Ancelotti Müller has only scored 9 goals in 42 appearances. Barely 28% of what he scored in the season before. The lack of goals doesn’t mean he was not effective. He was still helping his teammates, assisting, creating space. However, clearly, he is struggling because of the lack of freedom as compared to what he got under Guardiola.
Whether Ancelotti manages to deal with this situation and whether Müller’s so called “dip in form” ends, is something difficult to tell. However, the way so many journalists like those at Goal.com are blaming Müller, talking about Müller’s “lost Midas touch” is nonsensical and hypocritical. This time, the manager is unable to deal with the situation. Bayern may go on to win another Bundesliga title. However, this time, for Müller’s lack of goals he himself will be blamed, as there isn’t a certain Catalan around for the same.
No matter what, Müller won’t stop giving his all, playing in his own way. That’s Thomas Müller. A unique footballer with unique abilities, who has made a role of his own, something very few people can claim.
Superb article. Explains Müller’s game very well.
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