In Wembley Stadium, the German national team will play against England on Tuesday for a place in the EM quarter-finals. Thomas Müller has fond memories of the legendary arena: in 2013 he won the Champions League here with FC Bayern.
Few places have such magic in sport as Wembley Stadium in London. At the 1966 World Cup, Geoff Hurst scored 3-2 for England in the final against Germany. The ball hit the lower edge of the crossbar – and whether it actually crossed the goal line, whether the Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst was wrong after all, is still a great argument today.
Wembley is a cult site for football, just as Madison Square Garden in New York is for boxing, Wimbledon for tennis or Augusta’s lawn for golf. At this historic location, the Wembley Stadium, which was newly built in 2007, the German national soccer team will play against England on Tuesday (6 p.m., ARD). It’s about getting into the quarter-finals of the European Championship.
Müller fondly remembers Wembley
The team will have little time to get used to Wembley. The final training there has been canceled; the official reason given by the English was that they wanted to protect the heavily used lawn.
Thomas Müller, however, will be able to tell his teammates a lot about Wembley. In 2013 he won the Champions League here with FC Bayern. It was a purely German final; the Dortmund coached by Jürgen Klopp lost 2-1 (the decisive goal for Bayern was scored by Arjen Robben in the 89th minute).
Müller fondly remembers that evening on May 25, 2013 – also to get in the mood for the game on Tuesday. “In the football business, people like to hold on to things that have gone well,” said Müller on Saturday at the training camp in Herzogenaurach, only to say that the successes of the past “of course have nothing” to do with the present would have.
How will the DFB-Elf play against England?
Indeed, the present is a very complicated and contradictory one for the German national team. She doesn’t know exactly where she is at the moment. In the first group game against France, she didn’t want to win, she just didn’t want to lose. But that’s exactly what happened in the end. 0: 1 through an own goal by Mats Hummels. They attacked France “too little with one or two players,” said Müller, who, looking back, was annoyed by the shy style of play.
This was followed by a 4-2 victory over Portugal: There was a “completely different energy”, said Müller, “our full-backs played like wingers.” Against Hungary the team seemed again inhibited, without any idea how the two defensive chains of the Hungarians could be broken. “We all hoped for more than this 2-2,” said Müller. “I openly admit that.”
And now the round of 16 against England. Will it be an offensive spectacle like against Portugal? Or such a grueling game like against Hungary?
“We look forward to England”
The hope in the German camp: That the English team in front of 60,000 spectators at Wembley does not dare to withdraw into their own half and let the Germans play the game alone. The tournament so far has shown that the DFB team struggles against defensive opponents – and that it is prone to counter goals.
The team of national coach Joachim Löw has so far only mastered one system offensive: to build up pressure on the wings, especially on the defenders Robin Gosens and Joshua Kimmich. In the center, on the other hand, there is an eerie calm. In the absence of a trained center forward, Serge Gnabry helps out here, who is allowed to attack on the flanks at Bayern because Robert Lewandowski is right at the front, currently the best striker in the world. Thomas Müller also plays a different role in the national team than he is used to from his club. He plays a bit backwards, towards the center circle. This way he gets possession of the ball earlier, can organize the game – but is less likely to finish himself. “Of course I would have liked to have scored my first European Championship goal,” he admitted. “But I play where it is most important for the team’s success.”
Müller, who last suffered from a capsule injury on his right knee, will probably be back in the starting line-up on Tuesday. Although the injury has not healed, it does not particularly hinder him. “We are looking forward to England,” he said, “we have lust and confidence.”
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
