[...] A scout for a well-known European team went to see Bayern Munich's under-19 side. His job was to evaluate half a dozen players on the pitch that day and write up a little report. Among them was Thomas Mueller, who was enjoying a free-scoring season.
"[Mueller] was uncoordinated, ugly to watch. He'd try to trap the ball and it would bounce three meters away. He was always in a hurry, always scrambling, like a guy who was terrified to make a mistake. In my experience, guys like that don't have a future in the top flight. [..]
It's not that Mueller is not technically gifted. He can beat players on the dribble when necessary. It's just that he looks inelegant and unorthodox when he does it.
But skill is only part of the equation. It's an ingredient, a means to an end. Unless you have the other elements to make your skill and elegance count for something, it's rather pointless.
Jorge Valdano told me a few years ago that in addition to technique, athleticism, courage and tactical understanding, there was another crucial element to a great footballer's makeup: Saber jugar futbol, or "Knowing how to play football." That means making the right decisions, being in the right place at the right time, and understanding the game to a point where you can maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
Few players in the world game do this better than Mueller.
Heynckes was seen as a players' coach -- a guy who could bring harmony after the acrimony of the Louis Van Gaal era and simply get a talented group to play together without egos -- rather than some kind of tactical visionary. He likely won't ever be spoken of in the same terms as an Arrigo Sacchi, Pep Guardiola or Marcelo Bielsa -- genius, footballing philosopher-prophets who revolutionize the game tactically -- but he has proven that he can more than hold his own as an X's and O's guy, too.
He destroyed Antonio Conte's Juventus tactically in the previous round and did the same to Tito Vilanova's Barcelona Tuesday night. What's more, he did it in entirely different ways, the real measure of a flexible tactician. Against Juventus -- especially in the first half of the first leg -- Bayern employed a suffocating high press that squeezed the life out of Conte's men, who struggled to get out of their half. Against Barca, Bayern moved its center of gravity 15 yards back, lying in wait in midfield with a Maginot line of perfectly spaced players congesting the middle of the park and giving the Catalans a choice they didn't want: You can either have sterile possession, or you can run into our brick wall and lose the ball.
aber Fussballerisch hatte er und hat er noch immer einiges drauf.
