Selfies with young star Mathys Tel were an extremely popular motif among Munich’s noble fans after midnight at the banquet in the fine FC Bayern team hotel.
The famous Frenchman had already visibly enjoyed it in the Parken Stadium with his arms raised high, like the supporters behind the goal in which he perfectly inserted the winning goal by Thomas Müller in the 83rd minute to make it 2-1 (0-0) against After FC Copenhagen scored, they loudly chanted his name and celebrated him as the match winner.
After the German record champions’ next successful comeback in the Champions League, coach Thomas Tuchel was able to praise “the incredible boost” that his jokers – especially the old Müller (34 ) and the young Tel (18) – had brought them into the energetic final phase.
Mega parade by Ulreich
Thanks to the happy ending with goals from Jamal Musiala (67th) and Tel as well as a fantastic save from goalkeeper Sven Ulreich deep in added time, Tuchel was able to give the six-point start in the Champions a much more positive interpretation. “The mentality, answers and reactions on the pitch are right at the moment,” the 50-year-old summed up happily: “We feel together that we lost games like this last season.”
So everything is good? Not at all. It cannot be FC Bayern’s claim, whether in Europe or in everyday league life, to put the pedal to the metal when they are behind, as was the case after the Danes’ goal by Lukas Lerager (56th minute). “Now we have to make sure that we don’t end up 0-1,” warned national player Musiala, who initiated the late turnaround in the park with an energetic individual performance for the equalizing goal.
It is still not clear what kind of football Tuchel Bayern want to play. Despite extended record series – 36 group games unbeaten since 2017, 15th group game won in a row – dominance and sovereignty are still too often missing. “If you want to see FC Bayern shine from A to Z and play ballet, you can also criticize something,” admitted premier class veteran Müller. Then came a but: “There have been difficult encounters at all times, whether it was a triple season or something else.”
Broad Bayern squad
After all, the thin squad, which could be filled defensively with Jérôme Boateng, a training guest without a club, provides enough quality in the offensive department to be able to turn every game around with fresh talent. “We got top energy from the bench, the game was the most dangerous and compelling. That’s the only way it works. We can’t achieve our goals with eleven players,” said Tuchel happily.
Müller, who was once again pushing for a bigger playing role, campaigned vigorously for himself in the stadium catacombs afterwards – and as an advocate for the young offensive jewel Tel. In Copenhagen it was not 100 million man Harry Kane, but the youngster who had already become a player came in for the third time this season and scored a game-winning goal late on.
“You can see that he wants to score goals. That’s also a great quality,” said Müller about the six-time goalscorer Tel, who admittedly still lacks a bit of overview in some attacking actions. “But if you really want to score goals, sometimes you have to keep your head down,” said Müller.
Tell reminds of Arjen Robben
He was even reminiscent of a Munich premier class final hero. “When we remember Arjen Robben, we sometimes thought, okay, now he should have seen the man next to him. But Arjen was so focused on the goal – and that gave him a lot of goals.” That’s why Müller’s advice to Tel on the Danish night was: “Mathys should keep doing his thing and look for lots of deals with his finishing skills.”
Tel is coming into focus – and Müller also doesn’t want to accept a role as a helper from the bench. He exuberantly celebrated his great preparation for the goal. Did he feel any satisfaction? “Satisfaction is a big word. But the joy is great,” said Müller. “I’m a normal squad player and want to collect minutes. But I don’t just want to collect minutes, I want to play because I’m convinced that I can help the team with my strengths,” said part-time employee Müller, calling for more Thomas Müller games.
Goalkeeper Ulreich attributed “80 percent” of the Tel goal to the energetic preparer Müller. Tuchel called it normal for the indestructible Müller to “scratch his hooves” in order to play more: “Thomas was eager to turn the game around. He’s super hard-working. You could see the energy and charisma in him. He’s a an integral part of us.”
