Things are getting tight for Thomas Müller – can the World Cup plan still work out?
Created: 11/17/2022, 1:15 p.m
By: Caroline Metz
Will Thomas Müller be on the pitch at the World Cup?
© IMAGO/Marc Schueler
Is Thomas Müller missing match practice after his long break?
Other players could challenge his place in the starting XI.
Doha – On September 30, Thomas Müller was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes for the last time in a match – at FC Bayern's home game against Bayer Leverkusen.
Since then, the Weilheimer has been plagued by a wide variety of injuries.
His commitment to the club was a constant stop and go - sometimes Müller was better and he was able to train, sometimes it got worse again.
Nevertheless, both national coach Hansi Flick and the athlete himself seem to be counting on a commitment at the World Cup.
Will Müller be fit again for the game against Japan?
The national coach would be reluctant to do without the skills of the Bayern star, because in addition to his playing skills, the Weilheimer is also known as the spokesman for the team.
Especially after the friendly against Oman, in which the DFB team was anything but convincing, Müller's commitment and his motivating nature are needed more than ever.
Leave constant injuries and gaps in training behind and be back at 100 percent for the World Cup in just a few days: can that even work?
The medical departments of FC Bayern and the national team aligned the build-up precisely so that Müller would be fully resilient again at the start against Japan.
He was rested with the record champions in recent weeks, others from the Bayern squad took his place.
And he only attended the game against Oman as a spectator.
Time is running out for Thomas Müller
But after weeks of hip problems, the national player lacks match practice and competition toughness.
Müller should be back on the training ground on Friday.
According to
kicker
, an extra unit was even scheduled for him so that he is ideally prepared for his return to team training on Saturday.
There is no training for the other DFB players on Friday.
The hot preparation phase for the game against Japan starts on Saturday.
Anyone who is not fully resilient at this point can hardly play against Japan.
Time is running out for Müller.
Because colleagues like Jamal Musiala have come up trumps in recent weeks - and are fighting for his place in the starting XI.
Flick doesn't give Müller any guarantees either: "We have very good quality in the front positions, it's about what the players offer.
If they show their top performance, it will be very difficult to decide," said the trainer, according to
image
information.
The Bayern star wants to build on the great tournaments of 2010 and 2014: Müller scored 10 goals in his first 13 matches at a World Cup and became the third-best German World Cup goalscorer of all time.
On Wednesday he shared videos on his Instagram profile showing him training with the national team.
Seems as if he wants to make it clear: "I'm here, you have to count on me!"
(cm)