Müller delivers Dortmund dig following Benfica loss
Following the shock defeat, Müller was caught off guard but quick with a response. “Are we in Dortmund now? Do we already have mental problems?” the Bayern stalwart quipped after the match, clearly puzzled by suggestions that mindset might have been to blame.
For Müller, mentality wasn't the issue; it was the conditions. “Mentally, we were absolutely on track to win this,” he insisted. Kompany had rotated seven players from the previous match, citing the extreme afternoon heat in Charlotte as the key factor.
Rotation gamble backfires — but Kompany stands firm
Kompany’s starting eleven left out key names like Joshua Kimmich, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, all of whom were only introduced after the break. Their presence improved Bayern’s game significantly in the second half, but the equaliser never came.
The Belgian coach defended his decisions, calling them “very logical.” “I didn’t want the players to be dead after playing 90 minutes in this heat,” Kompany explained. “It was about setting the best possible conditions for our next game, to win the tournament in the end. A positive result will prove me right.”
Looking ahead to the knockouts
Despite the disappointing group-stage finale, Müller and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer remain confident ahead of the round of 16 clash against Brazilian giants Flamengo this Sunday in Miami (22:00 CEST, Sat.1, DAZN, ntv.de live ticker).
“I know knockout matches are always like playing with fire, but I’m convinced we’ll be here for a while,” said Müller. Had Bayern topped the group, they would have remained in Charlotte to face Chelsea, and the heat, once more.
Neuer echoed the optimism, despite the potential of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals. “If we play like we did in the second half, this will be a great tournament,” said the Bayern captain. “Now it’s on to the knockout games — and those are the big matches we thrive in.”
Müller draws on World Cup wisdom
Müller, always a source of perspective, recalled Germany’s narrow 2-1 win over Algeria in the 2014 World Cup round of 16 — a struggle that preceded ultimate tournament glory. “Every tournament winner has a tough match where things don’t go perfectly,” he reminded.
Whether Kompany’s heat-conscious rotation will pay off remains to be seen. But Bayern must now deliver, in the cooler climate of Miami, under the hot pressure of knockout football.
