Bayern: Mueller's resurgence signal

Thomas Mueller had at one time been crippled. But the 29-year-old is trying to prove the opposite. "Space thieves" are not easy to slip into oblivion.

Bayern Munich 4-0 Chicago Fire
Bayern Munich 3-1 Hoffenheim
Bayern: Mueller's resurgence signal
Find the feeling
Mueller is not strong in technique and softness. The advantage of the 29-year-old striker lies in his ability to handle situations effectively by knowing the precise decision and moving the smart. Those qualities were just "recovered" Mueller in the match against Hoffenheim in the opening round of the Bundesliga last week.

A high pass to open the scoring. Very neat, light and precise. Mueller was also the constructor of Robben's 3-1 win over Hoffenheim with a batting look. Bild rated Mueller as the best player in Bayern's win over Hoffenheim. For a long time people have seen quite complete image of the player nicknamed "space thieves".

It is not Mueller that fades so badly at the 2018 World Cup. It seems the new season has spawned a new breath for the 29-year-old German. "I know I can play much better. I left the failures behind. I believe in myself in the front line, "Mueller said after the Hoffenheim victory.

Two recent seasons, Mueller diminished markedly. He can not score 20 goals per season as of the peak of 2012-2016. In the summer of 2016, Mueller scored just nine goals and 15 in the previous season. From an idol at the Allianz Arena, an 18-year-old player who has been linked with Bayern has even turned his back on the home crowd. They think Mueller is becoming a burden for Bayern and Germany.

But at this moment, Mueller was not the one who left. He played the first three matches of Bayern, contributing positively to the game and having a brilliant performance in front of Hoffenheim.

Kovac is behind
Thomas Mueller's resurgence signal is notable for the new coach Niko Kovac. The Croatian manager made the right decision when he pulled the 29-year-old midfielder. In Kovac's 4-3-3 scheme, Mueller joined Thiago and Martinez in the middle of the pitch. In fact, Kovac allowed Mueller to move quite freely to assist Lewandowski and to tape up the goal as needed.

Mueller's ability to judge and move wisely proved effective when the midfielder, where Guardiola had stated that "Mueller did not have the technical qualities to play midfield." At least, the 29-year-old did not feel as restricted as last season, when pushed to the striker or to the right. The fact that the two generals Ribery and Robben look back is also a favorable factor for Mueller. Because the German player will not be pushed to the corridor where Mueller can express speed limitations.

The most effective Mueller is in the position that Kovac is using. A versatile attacking midfielder, defensive tackle and ice pick for Ribery or Robben. At the age of 29, Mueller passed the most prolific stage. But that does not mean he is out of time as the storm criticized the post-World Cup. Mueller is trying to start from scratch with great confidence from Niko Kovac. And the recent convincing performances are the return signal of "space thief."

177 - Thomas Mueller is currently Bayern's richest goalkeeper among the players with 177 goals on all fronts. In the history of Bayern, Mueller finished fourth in scoring after Gerd Mueller (564), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (218) and Rainer Ohlhauser (215). But in terms of goals in the Champions League / Champions League, Thomas Mueller is the number one in Bayern history with 42 goals.