The Liechtenstein Lessons: Go on, go on!
Wolfsburg – Anyone who saw Thomas Müller celebrating his 8-0 win against Liechtenstein, a completely typical Thomas Müller goal, knows everything.
Somehow the ball found its way into the goal in the 86th minute, his left-footed shot from the crowd was deflected, hit the lower edge of the crossbar and jumped behind the line from there. The 32-year-old raised his left fist as he just scored a goal in a Champions League semi-final.
Thomas Müller takes everything with him
At least. Ten minutes earlier, the Bavarian had pushed a Florian Neuhaus header over the same while standing on the line – quickly and painlessly, with a mischievous grin. Neuhaus’ attempt to 6-0 would also have rolled in. But: goal is goal and Müller is Müller. He takes everything and everyone with him – as a goal scorer and emotional leader of the team.
Five years ago (!) Against the Czech Republic, he last managed a double in a DFB dress. Even out with the joy, finally it was only his third international match under Hansi Flick, after 106 under his predecessor Joachim Löw. In Wolfsburg, it was a world champion coach from 2014 who passed away rather carelessly in spring 2019, who in spring 2019 banished offensive free spirit Müller as well as central defenders Mats Hummels and Jérôme Boateng to the isolation of the national team. Until the return shortly before the EM in the summer.
Müller: “Jogi a top guy”
But Müller no longer takes the 61-year-old badly, despite the “points of friction” that there were after the disembarkation: “Jogi is a great guy. All the players who have played under him can confirm that.”
Also in the knowledge that Nonne Flick is responsible and he continues the football with which he founded his sensational time at Bayern two years ago (with seven titles in 18 months). Courageous football, aggressive pressing, constantly annoying the opponent. Never let up, never rest. From the score and the minute of the game. Müller is happy.
Kahn credo: Go on, go on!
“It was a harmonious evening. The people are there – and we are there too. Or the other way around “, enthused Müller:” There was a great atmosphere at the last three home games. And we wanted the next goal and then the next goal. “Say: Go on, go on! In reference to Bayern’s former bundle of ambitions, Oliver Kahn, who, according to his own statement, had taken over the saying from then coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.
The lived Kahn credo.
In six games under Flick there were now six wins and 27: 1 goals – a new national coach start record. Even if the opponents (Liechtenstein, Armenia, Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia) were more from category 1C to 1D, the hunger for goals proves the new game philosophy and joy of playing.
The entertaining kick against number 190 in the Fifa world rankings was the show act at the football tattoo for Löw. “We are very satisfied with the way we did it,” said Flick, “the goal was to show Jogi Löw goodbye to a nice football game. The team succeeded. I am pleased that Jogi could see nine goals.” With a chances ratio of 26: 0, a double-digit success was lost, but the fifth-highest win in international match history came out – a 9: 0 was last at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin against Luxembourg. A DFB team last won higher in 2006, when the dwarf state of San Marino was defeated 13-0 under Löw.
Müller himself, king of assists in the Bundesliga (again top of the league with ten assists), now has 42 goals for the DFB team. This puts him on par with Michael Ballack in eighth place, just one goal behind legendary striker Uwe Seeler. Statistics are “completely irrelevant to him,” said Müller, who has now overtaken Jürgen Klinsmann with 109 international matches and is sixth in the DFB’s record national team. He only feels a “satisfaction, to have performed so long and in so many games that dying brings me to such a number”. And there is no end in sight. It grumbles on, on and on.