Muller Must Rediscover Goalscoring Touch in Wake of Gomez Injury

If you were to ask football fans the most memorable moment from Germany’s penalty shoot out win over Italy on Saturday, chances are Simone Zaza’s terrible effort from the spot would first spring to mind. The Juventus striker was introduced with seconds remaining on the clock in extra time with one duty - score in the shoot out. However, his comical run up and subsequent miss will be how Zaza is best remembered for the tournament. 

Conversely, Germany’s win saw them progress to the semi final of Euro 2016 in their bid to hold both the World Cup and European Championship at the same time. Victory, though, came at a cost for Die Mannschaft. Mats Hummels is suspended and will miss the meeting with hosts France. Meanwhile, Bastian Schweinsteiger is a doubt, while Sami Khedira sustained a groin injury in the opening exchanges of Saturday’s win and is ruled out. 

Arguably the biggest blow, though, comes in the absence of striker Mario Gomez. While the Besiktas forward started the first two games of the competition on the bench, Jogi Loew opted to have Gomez spearhead the attack against Northern Ireland, Slovakia and Italy and was rewarded with two goals from three starts. Yet, now sidelined for the meeting with France, Loew has a decision on hands over whether to bring Mario Gotze back into the side or move Thomas Muller into an advanced central position. 

The latter’s goalscoring woes are well documented. While Muller is an effective attacking outlet for the national team, he is yet to score a goal for Germany at a European Championship. It’s not for want of trying either, with he averaging 3.2 shots per game at the competition, the 15th best return, but only Kevin De Bruyne (21) has had more shots of players yet to score a goal than Muller (16) at the tournament. 

Thursday’s meeting with France would be as good a time as any for the 26-year-old to open his account at a European Championship. Only Gomez has scored more than one goal of all Germany players at the tournament so far, which adds further importance on the striker. If, as is expected, he starts as the lead frontman against France, the goalscoring burden is a heavy one for Muller to shoulder, particularly for an attacker who is yet to score across two European Championships and who missed a penalty in the shoot out win over Italy. 

It’s a far cry from the 20 goals he netted for Bayern in their Bundesliga triumph last term and Germany had been hoping he could continue his form in front of goal at Euro 2016. There has, though, been a touch of misfortune to Muller’s lack of goals. Not only is he routinely testing his luck against the opposition, in the process for goalkeepers into action, but there have been moments where he’s come close to breaking his duck. 

No player has struck the woodwork more times than Muller (2) at Euro 2016. He came perilously close to netting his first goal of the tournament in the second half against Italy, only to be denied by an excellent clearance by Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi. Luck evidently hasn’t been on the Bayern star’s side this summer in his quest to finally netting that first goal. 

It would be harsh, though, to immediately declare Muller a flop at the tournament. He’s worked tirelessly to help the team when out of possession having averaged more tackles per game (3) than any other Germany player so far at Euro 2016. Whether he’s been asked to start on the right or in the middle, Muller has adhered to the plans of his manager for the benefit of the team. When on the ball he still ranks highly for key passes (1.8) and successful dribbles per game (1.4), with his influence in the final third evident. All that is missing now is the goals. 

Against a France side that has kept just one clean sheet in their five European Championship games this summer, Germany and Muller will fancy their chances against their defence. Moreover, France will look to play a more expansive, open game rather than the teams Germany have played so far this tournament. Loew’s side are averaging the most possession (63%) at Euro 2016, with the onus on them to attack opponents, meaning space in and around the penalty is at a premium. 

Of course, as Germany have proven, they are capable of opening up teams when it’s required, but they should - in theory at least - find it easier to create the required chances to hurt the hosts. Given Germany are playing a respectable 14.2 key passes per game at the tournament, they aren’t devoid of creativity in the final third. Muller has been guilty of missing a number of easy chances, particularly his first half effort when all-but one-on-one with Gianluigi Buffon at the weekend, but his ability to find space, arguably his best trait, means he is moving into the required positions to be picked out by teammates. 

A little over two years ago, Germany beat France 1-0 on their way to World Cup glory and they will be keen to repeat the feat when the two resume rivalries at the Velodrome on Thursday. Furthermore, the world champions have won their last six semi final outings against the hosts of a major tournament, with their record at this stage of tournaments unparalleled. If Muller can rediscover the form that rendered him such an efficient goalscoring threat for Bayern last season, Germany stand a much strong chance of denying the tournament hosts a place in the Euro 2016 final.

Can Muller break his European Championship duck against France on Thursday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below