For Thomas Müller, the long run-up to the chance, which could have changed everything again, did not start at the center line on the grass of the Wembley Stadium. It began rather in one of the many almost empty stadiums, sometime during the past few months, when no German footballer stood out more than him, nobody ran and called as much, scored goals and forced himself to refuse to lose and won titles until Joachim Löw could hardly help but reverse his decision.
A lot could be seen from the decision before this European Championship that Müller, 31, and Mats Hummels, 32, returned to the national team, although Löw had kicked them out of the squad in March 2019. The decision stood for the pragmatism of the national coach to try again with the best footballers in his last tournament. He stood for the fact that the younger ones had not yet proven themselves. But he also stood for the hope that it would be enough after all. Even in the training camp before the EM, Müller was again at Radio Müller at the DFB. As if he had never been away, everyone said.
And now this 81st minute in the last 16 of the German team against England: When the score was 0: 1, Raheem Sterling, who scored the opening goal, played a thoughtless back pass that Kai Havertz picked up and a counterattack with a through pass into the large, free one Space in England’s half accelerated. The English fans, who had already sung confident of victory, they were holding their breath, at least that’s what it sounded like.
An expression of shock on her face
Müller ran the ball, and it took a few excruciating seconds to get in front of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, seconds to think about it. He shot in the left corner, it was the right choice, it was also a good shot, a typical Müller shot actually: not artificial, not lifted, not with force. But Müller took aim and sank to his knees, an expression of shock on his face. That was it, he suspected that, he had to know that.
“We would have needed this goal,” said Löw later in his quiet first interview after the game. “We could have come back through Thomas Müller,” he said at the press conference. It would have been 1: 1, instead five minutes later the English scored 2: 0.
Müller was the tragic figure in the last 16 knockout of the German team and in the last game of the national coach, that was, but he was not the only decisive one. He couldn’t blame him, said Loew. Müller missed the last chance, one of a few, but not the only one. In the 32nd minute Timo Werner appeared in front of England’s goal, sent down, just as it was the plan. But the plan rarely worked. And Werner also missed his one chance, as he has done so often at Chelsea this season. After a little over an hour he left for Serge Gnabry.
In order to see that Müller, who recommended himself with such strong performances for the national team, Löw could have put more players of the German champions around him in order to use well-established processes. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka play behind him in Munich, Gnabry and Leroy Sané often by his side. But Kimmich was needed on the right, Sané is out of shape. That is why Löw decided on Werner and Havertz on the wings. And maybe that’s why Löw didn’t get the best possible miller. He left the pitch in stoppage time, replacing Jamal Musiala, another man from Munich who might have helped.
Müller only scored his tournament goals at world championships
This time too, Müller talked a lot and shouted in the noisy Wembley Stadium, although he was of course more difficult to understand. Instead, he gestured, waving as a command to attack: Get out behind! On it now! He seemed to mean that sometimes. But while in Munich it is his strength to guide the pressing, on Tuesday evening the way to the opposing goal was too far and too little offensive at his side. Instead, it was a game of waiting and few chances. For Müller it was the 15th of 15 European Championship games in which he didn’t use any. He has only scored his tournament goals at world championships.
Was it also, finally, his last international match in a tournament? Hummels, the other man who was brought back, postponed a decision in his case, he didn’t want to say anything about it, “I’ll do that sometime in a few weeks”. Müller is a favorite player of the next national coach, Hansi Flick, who helped him to his old form in Munich. But he’s already 33 at the World Cup in the winter after next. It would be another long run.