Thomas Müller spoke of inner calm and that is not the soccer jargon with which the 32-year-old is usually associated. But in critical times, the most original needs suddenly become noticeable again. You would have lost your inner calm, said Müller on TV station Sky after the 5: 2 at Union Berlin. The FC Bayern striker was referring to the course of the game in the An der Alten Försterei stadium, where there were those moments when the fans of the Köpenicker could suddenly believe in a great success again. But the loss of inner peace, it also fit in with the overall situation at FC Bayern.
Yes, it’s true: The wound that tore the club’s heart by the 5-0 draw in the DFB Cup against Gladbach on Wednesday is now closed, a win like against Union with a three-goal lead is hard to sell under the, what it is: a victory by three goals. “We are really happy that we were able to show the desired reaction,” said Dino Toppmöller with justified relief. He represented head coach Julian Nagelsmann one last time before he returned from the corona quarantine. But just as little as you should get back on your racing bike four days after a heart operation, everything is in perfect order again with the Munich team. The wound has yet to heal, or to put it in the words of Müller: “It was a hard-fought 5-2.”
A little cup shame will stick this season
Of course someone like Müller now chooses his words with the usual dose of smugness, but there was also a truth in them that will still have to be dealt with in Munich. Anyone who leads 3-0 after 35 minutes has obviously done a lot right, but that is currently not enough to get the team crisis-proof. As great as the effort was, the uncertainty that still accompanies the team was noticeable, not only when the ball was lost. In the 3: 1 by Niko Gießelmann, the ball was able to reach the goalscorer unhindered via several Bayern stations, who then had an easy game with Josip Stanisic. Only a few seconds later the ball was back in Manuel Neuer’s net, only Sheraldo Becker’s offside position prevented the 3-2 before the break.
The “classic Union face” then showed itself, said Müller, so not to give up, it was not for nothing that Urs Fischer’s team had gone unbeaten from the lawn 21 home games by then. This time the question also arose: Catching two more goals from an actually comfortable position could that become the classic Bayern face again?
Take a deep breath after the total failure: Bayern’s assistant coach Dino Toppmöller has represented Julian Nagelsmann again against Union Berlin, the head coach is expected to return in the Champions League against Benfica Lisbon on Tuesday.
(Photo: Andreas Gora / dpa)
The defense is more of a coarse-meshed construct, in the 4: 2 by Julian Ryerson even Niklas Süle was too cautious about the matter. “At this point, I don’t see it so critically,” said Toppmöller on Saturday in Berlin. The processing of the latest events would still take place in the coaching team, “there was now a little time to do that”.
However, the schedule remains tight, on Tuesday the Champions League will continue at home with the second leg against Benfica Lisbon. Julian Nagelsmann should then return to the sidelines, he will find a different team than before the forced move to the home kitchen. A collapse like on Wednesday sits in the bones of some players for longer, and despite the success against Union, “we shouldn’t forget that we are still out of the cup,” said Thomas Müller, “we didn’t just lose one game but a competition that means a lot to us during the season. ” So at least a little cup shame will stick, also in the coming months. And the vaccination debate about Joshua Kimmich has not yet subsided, on the contrary.
Chancellor Angela Merkel comments on Kimmich
In the meantime, the national player’s vaccination status has also arrived in politics, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitungthat she could not understand Kimmich’s concerns. There are “very good factual arguments for his questions and doubts that are generally available,” said Merkel, and: “Maybe Joshua Kimmich is still thinking about it. He is known as a very reflective footballer.” The 26-year-old even received an invitation from the new Bundestag President Bärbel Bas via Rheinischer Postto talk about corona and vaccines: “I like to meet Joshua Kimmich for coffee. Because I am even grateful to him for having reopened the debate about the long-term consequences of vaccinations before winter.”
So there is a lot to moderate for Julian Nagelsmann, which goes beyond the historic 0: 5 against Gladbach. But, you can also see it this way: After all, he came to FC Bayern for challenges. Now they are there.