Thomas Müller’s inspirational performances for Bayern Munich are fueling growing calls for his reinstatement to the German national team.
Müller is arguably in the best form of his long career while the Germany team is struggling. Joachim Löw’s side was thrashed 6-0 by Spain in the Nations League last month – Germany’s biggest loss since 1931.
Müller is the only Bayern player apart from captain Manuel Neuer to have played in every Bundesliga game so far this season, and he scored two goals Saturday to keep Bayern top with a 3-3 draw against Leipzig.
Munich's Thomas Mueller scores the goal for the 3:3 against Leipzig's goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (Sven HoppePool via AP)
He already has six goals and five assists in 10 league games this season. Only Robert Lewandowski has scored more (12) for Bayern.
Müller's performances are helping to inspire Bayern’s younger players, too. With no fans in stadiums in Germany due to restrictions against the coronavirus, Müller could be heard urging players like Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sané and 17-year-old Jamal Musiala against Leipzig.
Müller also came off the bench to convert a penalty in Lewandowski’s absence for Bayern to draw at Atlético Madrid 1-1 in the Champions League the previous Tuesday. It wasn’t a game Bayern had to win — the defending champions were already sure of progression to the next round — but Müller’s commitment remained the same.
Former West Germany goalkeeper Bodo Illgner became the latest to call for Löw to recall the 31-year-old Müller on Monday, when he told Kicker magazine, “Every coach wants a professional like that in their team, every player too.”
Löw hasn’t picked Müller since he announced in March 2019 that he was no longer counting on 2014 World Cup winners Müller, Jérôme Boateng and Mats Hummels. Their replacements have not impressed so far.
Löw’s own position as coach has been called into question after a string of underwhelming performances and poor results, but he received backing from the German soccer federation last week when it said he should “unreservedly continue.”
Illgner, who helped West Germany win the World Cup in 1990, said there were two reasons the federation was sticking with Löw: “A lack of an alternative at this time and also that he had successful times that shouldn’t be forgotten.”
Löw has been in charge for 189 games and has a contract until after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Former internationals like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lothar Matthäus had previously called on Löw to restore Müller, Hummels and Boateng to the team.
Müller was again asked about his potential return on Saturday.
“This issue is very, very far away for me. The next international break isn’t until March. I try to help the team I’m on the pitch with, to reach our goals. You can discuss everything else as much as you want. I’ll keep going — and then we’ll see,” Müller said.
He was diplomatic when asked about the federation’s decision to stick with Löw as coach.
“The federation decided it, so all of us Germans have to get behind this decision and do all we can to get things going again — and with Joachim Löw we will get things going again,” Müller said.
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SYDNEY (AP) — Belinda Bencic won her eighth match of the week and combined with Jakub Paul in the deciding mixed doubles to defeat Belgium's Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs 6-3, 0-6, 10-5 Saturday to qualify Switzerland for the United Cup final.
Bencic has won all four of her singles matches and four in mixed doubles this week in the team event. Paul, who won just six tour-level doubles matches last year, hit several down-the-line winners at crucial moments to lead Switzerland into Sunday's final against either the defending champion United States or Poland, who played their semifinal later Saturday.
“He’s so brave it’s unbelievable,” Bencic said of Paul. “I tell him to go (for it) and he actually goes. It’s crazy."
Earlier, Bencic extended her undefeated season-opening singles streak when she beat Mertens 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (0) to put Switzerland ahead 1-0. But Stan Wawrinka, who will retire at the end of this season, was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 by Bergs to send the match to a mixed doubles decider at Ken Rosewall Arena.
The turning point in the Wawrinka-Bergs match came in the eighth game of the third set when Bergs broke Wawrinka’s serve to go up 5-3, then held serve to win the match.
Tournament organizers started play 30 minutes earlier than scheduled with searing temperatures of up to 43 Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) in the forecast for Sydney.
Bencic had won all six sets in her first three matches at the United Cup. She was two games away from another two-set win before Mertens pushed the match the distance.
Then Mertens came from 3-1 down in the third set, saved a pair of break points that would have given Bencic a 4-1 lead, and was two points away from the set win with Bencic serving at 30-30, down 6-5.
But Bencic won the last nine points of the match following a decision to change her racket to a freshly-strung one, taking the match in 2 hours, 37 minutes.
“It feels like 170 kilos fell off my shoulders — I was so stressed; I really wanted to do well, and today I felt so much pressure to not let my team down,” Bencic said.
On the racket change, she said: “My brain turned off and let my instincts take over. I think it was just a feeling."
Later Saturday in the other semifinal, No. 2-ranked Iga Świątek of Poland was scheduled to face No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States and Hubert Hurkacz played American Taylor Fritz. A mixed doubles match would be played if the teams were level after the singles.
In the Poland-Australia quarterfinal on Friday, it took a mixed doubles decider to separate the teams.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Belinda Bencic, left, and Jakub Paul of Switzerland celebrate winning a point against Alise Mertens and Zizou Bergs of Belgium during their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Zizou Bergs of Belgium hits a backhand to Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Zizou Bergs of Belgium, right, Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland shake hands after Bergs won their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic, second right, and Jakub Paul, right, of Switzerland shake hands with Alise Mertens, left, and Zizou Bergs of Belgium after Switzerland won their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Alise Mertens of Belgium looks up after a rally against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, left and Alise Mertens of Belgium meet at the net after Bencic won their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates her win over Alise Mertens of Belgium in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, second left, celebrates with teammates after her win over Alise Mertens of Belgium in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
