MULLER IS STILL FANTASTIC
For a while now I have heard people say Muller is out of form. I don't know why (Well actually I do, but I don't agree). People say he is out of form because last season was his worst goal scoring season (ignoring the fact that he was Bayern’s top assister) right after having his best goalscoring season. If you think Muller is great because of his goals you’ve probably only watched him play at the World Cups and highlights. Muller has never been nor will he ever be a high scoring forward.
To find out what makes Muller great we have to define what his role in the team is. He’s not the main scorer, thats Lewandowski. He’s not a dribbler who beats defenders on 1v1s, thats Robben and Ribery. The truth is he's not a forward at all (at least not the way people think of forwards). He’s not a striker or winger that has a healthy ego, is eager to show off, and hungry for goals. His mentality is actually more of a midfielder’s. He looks for his teammates and plays for them. Don't get me wrong though, he’s definitely not a midfielder. Just watch him with the ball. His dribbling and control is average at best. He's also not usually the player who unlocks defenses with great passing like a number 10 (despite being the team’s top assister last season and overall in the last three seasons.) Actually, if you watch him you might think he should be a poacher. Someone who isn't to good with the ball at their feet but hangs around the area waiting for his teammates to get him the ball and uses his size to beat defenders to the ball or in the air (but thats not how he plays). So if you’ve been judging Muller's performance by how a normal forward or midfielder performs you’ll never see his greatness.
I want to define his role in Bayern but his role has no name. He’s not a number 9, 10, 11, or 7. What he does is unique and the best way to describe it is in his own words, “the space interpreter.” That’s what he does, interpret space and no one does it better than him. He doesn't run into space to look for a pass for himself to score from. He uses space to drag defenders with him in order to give his teammates space. Chances are if Muller is on the field and Bayern score it is thanks to Muller dragging at least one defender out of position. If you are having trouble understanding just think of Messi when he plays as a false nine. Messi plays between the midfield and defense to confuse the opposition. and disorganize defenses. Muller does the same except all over the field. He might drop in between lines or push defensive lines back by making a runs or drag a player wide.
Now all this might not sound too unique (plenty of players look for space) until you understand why Muller does it. Unlike Messi, who looks for space in order to score, Muller looks for space in order for his teammates to score. Just ask Lewandowski, Mandzukic, Gomez, and Olic. All four have had their greatest years when playing next to Muller. Mandzukic’s, Gomez’s, and Olic’s goals have all gone down since leaving bayern and Lewandowski has managed to score more than in his time at Dortmund.
Why is this? It is because Muller plays off the main forward by making runs and dragging defenders to give his teammates space. If Lewandowski makes a run then Muller drops and vise versa. When lewa goes right Muller goes left and usually takes a defender with him. When Muller does get the ball he already knows where Lewa is and looks for him.
He is the most selfless forward I have ever seen play, always looking to help his teammates score (which is why he was the teams top assister last season despite not playing many splitting passes). His qualities are hard to see and hard to quantify in statistics, but watch him play and you’ll see their still there and are still having a big impact in games. Besides all this he is always willing to help defend and pressure. Muller does all these things not because his coaches have asked it of him, but because it’s his natural way of playing. He is proof that hard work and intelligence wins over talent.
