Report: Thomas Tuchel planning to “ease” Thomas Müller out of Bayern Munich XI

Bayern Munich’s coach Thomas Tuchel has been causing quite the flurry with his transfer demands and shuffling of the team’s formation and tactics. The board seems to strongly back the coach, and it is quite possible that the man now has his sights set on the next player he’s ready to send to the chopping block. Brace yourselves, this might not be pleasant.

The man in question is a certain Thomas Müller.

According to a report by TZ (as reported by @iMiaSanMia), Thomas Tuchel believes that his football is not “Müller football”, and is looking to find a way to end Müller’s career at Bayern Munich in a way that ensures the dignity of all parties stays intact.

BFW Analysis

Is this simply Tuchel suggesting that Müller is close to finished? It does seem quite baffling that the coach is concerned about the dignity of one of the most decorated players of all time. When Thomas Müller hangs up his boots, he’d be going in the annals as a one-of-a-kind player that defined the ‘free-roaming 10’ role. He’d certainly hang up his boots as one of the best attacking midfielders of all time, if not arguably the very best: a World Cup, 2 Champions League titles, 2 trebles, a World Cup golden boot, and a ton of other accolades, like countless Bundesliga titles and Pokal trophies.

And that is without mentioning his unfathomable goal and assist numbers.

There is no doubt that the player is on the decline. He is in the twilight of his career, but is it time to sound the sirens and plan his retirement already? Absolutely not. The man is still one of Europe’s most elite playmakers and is as important to this Bayern squad as he’s ever been. Pair him up with a half-decent finisher and he’ll put up excellent numbers. And the best part is he’s adaptable. He can create at an elite level anywhere across the front line.

Photo by Markus Gilliar - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images

One has to hope that Tuchel recognizes Müller’s tremendous value to the team and all the intangibles he brings to the table: leadership, on-pitch coaching, space creation, ball progression, and organization of the attack and midfield. Playing him as a sole 9 or isolating him out wide without any support and claiming he’s finished does little more than quash one’s coaching credentials. Source: Hansi Flick’s fall from grace during the World Cup.

So yeah, how this is handled may well decide whether Tuchel stays or is gone by October.