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Thomas Muller has a penchant for handing out nicknames, from “Lewangoalski” (Robert Lewandowski) to “Roadrunner” (Alphonso Davies). But in the Bayern Munich dressing room, he’s known as “Radio Muller.”
That nickname was coined by ex-Bayern assistant coach Hermann Gerland due to his unrelenting on-field communication with his teammates, opponents and referees. Bayern Munich themselves ran a video of his best soundbites in June, but his continuous chatter is no joke. Muller’s vocal side gives us a window into how he has become so important for both club and country.
Now in his 14th season as part of Bayern Munich’s first team, Muller’s ability to tweak his game over time has seen him remain as important as ever under new boss Julian Nagelsmann. The 32-year-old’s Bayern Munich career to date is remarkable, but his own unique skill-sets and positional intricacies take a certain manager to a) understand what he offers and b) find a system where he can dictate the tempo of the match either with or without the ball. So far, it’s clicked with Nagelsmann.
“He’s got outstanding quality and was always one of the most difficult players to prepare to face as an opponent, because you just can’t pick him up because he’s got this incredible feel for space,” Nagelsmann said in preseason. “He’s always driven to play all the time and be the best, so why should I do without a player of such quality?”
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Muller, who in 2011 gave himself the moniker of Raumdeuter (roughly translated as “interpreter of space”) when asked about his position, told ESPN: “My best position was starting in the middle… during the game, my position changes a lot. I try to get in a nice position to receive the ball, to create space for my teammates who are receiving the ball — in former times, I had a good relationship with someone like Arjen Robben, so when…
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Source : espn
