Thomas Muller still expects better from Bayern Munich collectively

Bayern Munich is leading the Bundesliga table six points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, boasting a goal difference of 36, which is 20 goals better than their bitter rivals. The Bavarians also breezed through the Champions League group stages, winning every single match en-route to progressing to the round of 16, where they will face RB Salzburg. Had it not been for a shock loss to Borussia Monchengladbach in the DFB-Pokal and slip-up losses to Augsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, Julian Nagelsmann would’ve had the perfect start to life as Bayern manager.

Despite Bayern Munich’s positive first half of the season, they have still showed some of their weakness, especially in defense. Thomas Muller recently spoke about how he still expects better from his side and how there are a number of things they can improve upon, collectively. “We are in a good position, no question. Nevertheless, I sometimes still have the feeling that we as a team and also I personally, that we can actually do a bit better,” the Raumdeuter said speaking to Magenta TV (via Az). Individually, he tops the Bundesliga assists chart with 12 to his name and has also scored 4 league goals thus far. He’s having yet another highly productive season, but he still feels it can be better.

“The standard must be a higher again,” he said. Continuing he expressed his opinion that Bayern is “also still leaving a lot to be desired. Both offensively and defensively.” He continued; “I think there is still more to do. I still waver so - do not be so strict. But on the other hand: the claim must be once again a higher.”

Defensively, Bayern have already kept five clean sheets in the Bundesliga and eight across all competitions, but most of the goals they do concede are preventable, many of which have come from opposition counter attacks. At the other end, Bayern has taken more shots than any other team in the Bundesliga and has scored the most goals, but could’ve tallied more than 52 goals with more proficiency in front of goal.

Like Muller, Bayern’s number 25 said Nagelsmann is exactly the same in the sense of always demanding and expecting more from his players. He is “a person who firstly strives for success and also does something for it. And accordingly does not settle. And, of course, he also has the skill set you need as a coach,” by Muller’s assessment. He continued by saying Nagelsmann has the innate ability to “analyze opponents, prepare his own team accordingly,” adding, “he’s a good person, can deal with us well. That’s why it’s working quite well so far. But even there - and that goes together - there is still room for improvement. I think it’s been a very successful debut for the first few months.”

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