Round-Up & Link-List: Müller will be fine
November 10, 2016 Mir klebt die Scheiße am Stiefel! (lit. I have shit on my boots, meaning All my efforts come to nothing.)
Thomas Müller, known for straightforward comments, used these words to describe his performance in front of Oliver Baumann’s goal after the draw against Hoffenheim. How is it possible that the second best player in the world has only 3 scorer points to his name after matchday 10, and what can be expected of Thomas Müller in the remainder of the season?
(Analytics: Lukas)
Goals decide games and thus it’s reasonable to evaluate offensive players based on their goals and assists. If only there weren’t such a thing as luck. To get luck out of the equation, it’s helpful to look at the underlying stats for shots and passes. And there, Thomas Müller puts up very good numbers. His 3.2 key passes per 90 minutes not only lead the league, but are also career bests for him. The number of shots taken is also above average, especially the 3.2 shots per 90 minutes he fired from within the penalty area. Volume isn’t the problem.
(Analytics: Lukas)
Besides the bad luck in front of goal, there is a second reason for the meagre 3 scorer points after the 10th matchday: Thomas Müller doesn’t play all the time. He needed 10 Bundesliga games to pass the 500-minute-mark; in previous seasons, he usually reached that mark on matchday six or seven. When one only looks at the first 500 minutes of a season, he already had similar struggles in the 2010/11 and 2013/14 seasons, but by the end of the season he had 24 and 25 scorer points to his name.
When looking at all the seasons, it’s noteworthy to point to the first seasons under Heynckes and Guardiola. At the start of these two season Müller also had weaker spells and then his numbers improved constantly. It seems to be a challenging task for any coach initially to integrate the unique skill-set of the “Raumdeuter” into their team.
The comparisons show that Müller is able to put himself and his teammates into good scoring positions and that it isn’t unusual for him to need a couple of weeks to click within the system of a new coach. One can expect the “Raumdeuter” to get back to his career average of 0.9 scorer points per 90 minutes. When he plays, he will make his points. Müller will be fine!
Miasanrot.com provides a 2-for-1 information combo meal. It contains a link list to (hopefully) worthwhile texts about the red giant and a feature text about former players, upcoming opponents or the Miasanrot player of the month.
Link-List
Kimmich aka Mr. Versatility
Joshua Kimmich has impressed in various positions in the last year for club and country. Centre-back, defensive midfielder, offensive midfielder, full-back, no matter where the coach put him, he was able to shine. Jason Humphreys even recommends to watch him play to understand the football of Guardiola.
Alonso on the radio
Xabi Alonso was a guest on the BBC podcast “World Football“, speaking about his goals with Bayern Munich.
No more “ich roque”
Roque Santa Cruz announced his retirement from international football. The Paraguayan striker played 155 games for FC Bayern between 1999 and 2007, scoring 31 goals. His angelic face has also played his part in making him an instant fan darling. A good moment to watch Sportfreunde Stiller’s homage “Ich, Roque” again, including a cameo appearance by Roque himself.
Miasanrot’s week
This week we had the preview by Justin and the analysis by Christopher for the game against Hoffenheim. Justin also looked at the criticism directed at Alonso and the current set-up in which Alonso is unable to shine.
Special thanks go out to this week’s translators Tobi, Sam, and Bettina.
