Thomas Muller fully deserves his international recall

31/05/21 2410

This summers European Championships will be one full of exciting players young and old. The competition delayed by the global pandemic should be a great spectacle.

It will also see Germany’s long-serving head coach Joachim Low bow out as Die Mannschaft boss.

His squad announcement for Euro 2020, as it’s still officially known, was an interesting one as he brought in experienced Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller from the international wilderness. Both have had strong seasons.

However, Muller particularly deserves his recall after another influential campaign with German champions Bayern Munich.

The attacking midfielder or ‘Raumdeuter’ has been one of the key reasons that the Bavarians scored so many goals this season. Muller not only scored 11 goals in the German top-flight, but he also produced 18 assists

It is not only his tangible assets that Muller brings to a team but also his personality and leadership skills. When playing for Bayern Munich the 31-year-old also seems to be talking to his teammates, directing attacks.

The last two seasons have arguably been Muller’s best in a Bayern shirt when it has come to his goal involvement. He is maturing like a fine wine and maybe his exclusion from the national team back in March 2019 has given him extra motivation.

Dropping the more experienced players was Low’s attempt at renewing his squad, with calls for some of the old guard to make way for younger talent.

With his job seemingly on the line, Low caved to pressure from the media and the fans to cull the older players from his squad.

However, with the 61-year-old leaving his job this summer, he is no longer picking a team for the long term. He is picking a team to triumph in the short term.

It would have been highly harsh to omit Muller from his final squad after the season he has had with Bayern. The decision could prove to be a shrewd one by the experienced German boss.