Brazzo lauds Thomas Müller’s substitute performance in Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw vs. FC Köln

Thanks to a late, late wonder strike from Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich rescued a point against FC Köln after trailing 1-0 for the better part of 86 minutes. On the balance, Bayern had the lion’s share of possession and edge in shots on target (7-1), but were unable to find the back of the net more than once, slumping to a second straight draw to open up the second half of the season, even though this matchday was technically still part of the Hinrunde.

Controversially, Thomas Müller was once again left on the bench from the start by Julian Nagelsmann, but he replaced Jamal Musiala in the 68th minute and was able to make his presence felt. For large parts of the first half, Bayern found it difficult to to find much space in between compact Köln lines in midfield and defense, but that started to change in the second half, when the onus was really on Bayern to find an equalizer and potential winner. Müller has an innate ability to create space for his teammates to exploit and that’s exactly what Nagelsmann was looking for at that stage of the match. Per WhoScored, Müller registered two key passes and won a corner as a part of the contributions he put forth in his 22-minute appearance.

After the match, Hasan Salihamidzic spoke highly of Bayern’s Raumdeuter and backed him to find the back of the net more this season. He knows not starting twice in a row won’t affect Müller’s confidence or effectiveness for Bayern. “Thomas did well today, he will score a few more goals this season. Thomas knows the game, the business. He will seek and find his chance. It’s about winning as a team,” Brazzo said (via Az’s Maximilian Koch).

Müller came close to scoring himself in the 79th minute, getting his head on the end of a cross into the area from Kingsley Coman, who was also a very effective sub for Bayern. Perhaps the overall attacking productivity in the second half of play will make Nagelsmann reconsider how he chooses to start in this weekend’s clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Want to hear more about the game? Why not check out our post-game podcast? Chuck’s not worried (yet) but talks us through lineups, Thomas Müller, cohesion, and more. Listen below or directly on Spotify:

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