dpa
Berlin
Despite his brace in the 5-1 thrashing of Union Berlin, Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Müller didn’t fully fulfill coach Thomas Tuchel’s expectations.
Asked after Saturday’s game whether Müller, 34, was a candidate to play the Champions League semi-finals first leg against Real Madrid on April 30, Tuchel said: “No, he knows that too. The goals were absolutely great, but the performance wasn’t good.” Tuchel left Müller out of the two quarter-final games against Arsenal and initially hinted that the midfielder would play against Madrid.
But on Saturday, the coach stressed that Müller “still has to earn” a chance to play.
The veteran player admitted that he needs to improve his form if he wants to play his 150th Champions League game.
“Unfortunately, the coach saw the game the same way I did. The goals were good. But there were also a few mistakes. Not everything was perfect,” Müller said.
“I wasn’t really able to hold the ball in dangerous areas or get them to the right man. But I’ve never let something like that take me down,” he added.
Müller stressed that the important thing against Madrid is “to have a team that wins. Who plays how many minutes is not important.”
