Bayern Munich found itself trailing in an important game — Vincent Kompany’s Bundesliga season opener, on the road at Wolfsburg — and who else to turn to but the legendary Thomas Müller?
The Raumdeuter came on for right-back Sacha Boey in the 65th minute and with his very first involvement found himself right in the thick of the action on a goal. Intentionally or not, Müller had dragged his marker on a corner, Jakub Kamiński, into prime position for an own goal, and that is exactly what happened after Harry Kane headed centrally.
Müller’s drive and determination played a role in the winning goal, too, holding off defenders just enough to feed the ball forward to Kane, who followed that up with an assist for Serge Gnabry. And just like that, Bayern was winning.
Funny how often Müller seems to be in the thick of it when the goals come. Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund agrees.
“Thomas brought energy back in really well, pushed the team again and was involved in all the decisive scenes,” Freund commented afterwards in remarks captured via @iMiaSanMia. “I think that in the decisive scenes, Thomas Müller is simply good for the team with his experience, his conviction and his enthusiasm for the game. He was an important factor in us turning the game around.”
Does that mean Müller will see more playing time going forward, as he clearly wants? Maybe, maybe not. But if the 34-year-old starts in the XI, at least he’ll spare his teammates from watching how he smuggles his substitution notes onto the field…
Looking for more analysis of Kompany’s Bundesliga debut? We’ve got you covered — INNN and Samrin go in-depth with a discussion of the lineups, tactics, substitutions, individual performances. PLUS we also compare and contrast Vincent Kompany’s start at Bayern Munich to what Hansi Flick has done at FC Barcelona thus far. Listen to it below or on Patreon or Spotify.
As always, we appreciate all the support!
