Matthäus on Müller's substitute role: "He can't be happy with this situation"
Lothar Matthäus has shared his thoughts on Thomas Müller's limited first-team football under Thomas Tuchel.
| Thomas Müller. | Sven Mandel CC-BY-SA 4.0 |
Speaking ahead of the game, Sky pundit and former Bayern star Lothar Matthäus expressed his surprise at Tuchel's decision to leave the veteran out of the starting line-up once again.
"That's a very big exclamation mark. Müller did not play against Manchester [City] because he was perhaps too slow, because it was not a Müller game. Müller didn't play last week against Hertha BSC, who are at the bottom of the table, because somehow it didn't fit," Matthäus reflected, adding:
"If he is not starting again today against a team that is secure in midfield, when will he be allowed to play?
"I think problems will arise between Thomas Müller and Thomas Tuchel. Thomas wants to play the last two, three years of his career. He can't be happy with this situation," Matthäus said.
Müller came on in the 64th minute, replacing Ryan Gravenberch.
After the game, Tuchel reiterated that Müller is handling the situation in a very professional and exemplary manner.
"The way Thomas acts professionally, trains and the influence he has on the team is great," Tuchel stressed.
"He didn't start against Hertha because of a back problem, and today we decided to field the same team because Serge [Gnabry] scored and Jamal [Musiala] trained extremely well. Tough decisions have to be made, otherwise we won't achieve our goals. That's all I can say."
