Ahead of Germany’s last-16 duel against England on June 29 at the Wembley arena, 31-year-old striker Thomas Mueller indicated that the one dark spot in his illustrious career was not having scored a goal against England at the European Championships.
Having won 29 trophies in his career, the Bayern striker said that while it was not the “most pressing issue” for him to score against England, he wanted to fulfill his role in the national team, reports Xinhua.
“I am in a different role compared to my duties in the club as I see myself more as a supporting force initiating chances for others in the national team,” the 2020 treble winner said.
Mueller added he would love to score his first Euro goal against England, but his main target is to win games.
“In the national team, I might be more the conductor and assist giver,” the Bavarian icon said.
Mueller said he would continue to “investigate all spaces, (to score goals)”, but “maybe not to the same extent as I do this in my club”.
To deliver a good team performance will be the key to success when facing their arch-rivals as Germany aims to secure a quarterfinal berth on Tuesday.
Mueller said he has recovered completely from the knee injury he suffered in the Group F encounter against Portugal. The Bayern attacker had missed the starting eleven against Hungary and only returned for the last 25 minutes.
Mueller attended Germany’s training session on Saturday without showing any signs of discomfort. “I am ready to be around for the game,” he said.
“Most important is to run the game as a team, covering the entire pitch and always keep stability and game control,” he said.
The Bayern striker said he has good memories of Wembley as “I won the 2013 Champions League there”. Having scored two goals against England at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa might give him a good feeling, but it is a “thing of the past”.
“Against England, we won’t get many chances, I guess, but I don’t see a problem taking the victory by one goal.”
He added that to beat England, it takes “a cool head and be persistent until the final whistle. From now on, it’s a do-or-die”.
