On Saturday, Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Müller called for Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann to drop Jamal Musiala from the starting XI to help preserve him for the rest of the tournament.
Upon hearing that, Lothar Matthäus took offense and vehemently disagreed with Klopp and Müller, sparking a day’s worth of debate.
The only man whose opinion truly matters on the subject is Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who thinks the Bayern Munich star just needs more playing time to get back on track.
“Jamal is ready
for the starting eleven. He still has a few steps to take – but he can only take them if we let him play and give him game time. He simply hasn’t had that rhythm for a long time, but thankfully he’s been playing more with us recently. We have complete faith in him. I absolutely agree with Lothar on that. We have to give him playing time, and he’ll get that [against Curaçao],” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Musiala, who missed the entire first half of the club season, but still managed to play over 1,100 minutes, is still working his way back from a crushing leg injury he sustained at the Club World Cup last summer. While short-term rest might not solve the issues that Musiala has faced so far this season, Klopp and Müller were trying to put forth a plan to help give Musiala a chance to remain his most fresh for the biggest games.
Some might argue that Bayern Munich fell victim to overusing its most key players in the first half of last season, which led to injuries, fatigue, and — in some cases — poor form when the club needed its top players the most. Perhaps, Klopp and Müller had that thought in mind with their plan.
For Germany, Nagelsmann wants to get Musiala into a consistent rhythm, hoping to unlock his star potential, but it could be complicated given some of the physical limitations the player himself has spoken about.
Maybe Nagelsmann is correct or maybe Klopp and Müller are on to something, but there is more at play than just the health of Musiala when it comes to lineup decisions. How the attack is aligned and what other players are in the XI also make a difference.
For Nagelsmann, those decisions will be just as important as his call to ride with Musiala.
Against Curaçao, it might not matter, but the tournament is a grind and things like chemistry, health, confidence, and fresh legs will come into play.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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