Thomas Müller highlights the benefits of a structured hierarchy in the German National Team.
Infamous Thomas Mueller has already sprinted into Germany's national soccer team's training camp: it's not just about rapping and correct sentence structure - it's also about the ending of his time with the iconic Bayern. He recognizes a positive aspect in the national team from the 2018 World Cup.
German national team member Thomas Mueller isn't currently pondering an early retirement. "I'm not contemplating retirement yet, but focusing on the upcoming responsibilities," said the 34-year-old from Bayern Munich during the DFB squad's practice sessions in Thuringia.
At Bayern, Mueller mentioned, he finds himself with "a year left on my contract. I can't just ditch my employer; they're looking to me for contributions." He added humorously, "So in a roundabout way..." because lately, Mueller has been substituted more often, both at Bayern and in the national team.
In terms of leaving the DFB team near retirement, he's "never truly been close" to it, not even in 2022 during his televised farewell speech in Qatar. Then, he remarked, "I didn't know if I'd return to the national team - it's not as if you can book a spot on the team; the coach selects the players."
For his eighth major tournament, Mueller will play under national coach Julian Nagelsmann. However, he'll be joining the squad as a substitute this time. The defined roles are crucial for success, as Mueller experienced in the surprising semi-final at the 2010 World Cup when "it all kind of worked out without any chaos" and former coach Jogi Low "clearly communicated his choices" in the 2014 World Cup victory. "In the opposite situation, like 2012 and 2018, the problems we faced arose," the player pointed out.
It is vital, Mueller stated, that Nagelsmann has educated the players on their roles in the team. "That's incredibly important so there aren't any upsetting moments right before the game that could hinder performance."
Mueller also made it clear that he isn't the team's comedian. "I'm not all about entertaining; you can't rely on that." The original Bayern player then jokingly mentioned, considering Nagelsmann's remarks at the team's assembly, "I come from the yodelers, but I've always found it interesting to learn from the rappers." Mueller occasionally advises his young teammates to remember, "sentences can have 'the, the, that' in them."
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Source: www.ntv.de
