Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller, Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann won’t overlook Mexico

Some would argue that Germany’s loss to Mexico in Die Mannschaft’s first game of the 2018 World Cup was the official start of the unraveling and decline of the German national team — and the spearhead for Joachim Löw’s eventual downfall.

However, the truth is that the regression start before that and has continued on for five years now.

The Golden Era, this is not.

Even with Mexico informally being absolved of pushing Germany to the “precipice of an enormous crossroad”, Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller remembers the pain of that fateful day in 2018 and might not be as forgiving with his assessment of when things fell apart for the German national team. However, Müller insists that his squad will not go over the top to make the game bigger than it really is.

“We experienced it, it was certainly the start of a period that people look back on very negatively. This is part of our history. There are defeats in sports. But it no longer plays a role now. I’m actually pleased that we’re off to a good start. We want to continue with that,” Müller remarked (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Meanwhile, Julian Nagelsmann has decided not to rotate too much for this match — a sign that the Germans are taking this more seriously than the average friendly.

“We discussed a lot, including about the possible starting eleven for Mexico. We have not decided (the lineup) yet. I decided not to rotate too much — to get rhythm. We still have the final training, I would like to wait and see if there’s any momentum with some of the players,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Looking for more transfer chatter and analysis, along with a breakdown of what is going on with the German national team? Check out our Weekend Warm-up Podcast on Spotify or below: