MULLER’S LIGHT ON THE KEY FACTS

GERMAN football has always had a hot tip for itself. It is why English newspapers are full of Bundesliga experts telling us how great Kai Havertz and Timo Werner are, when evidence suggests they might be, one day. They looked good in German football, mind. Maybe it’s not as collectively strong. Thomas Muller doesn’t agree. This week he made claims for German club football that, again, were scant on factual support. ‘I do not feel the teams of the Premier League are super, super strong,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if the quality of the clubs is really better. ‘Normally, when we play English teams, we have a good experience. And when you compare the fourth of the German league with the fourth of the Premier League, when they play a knockout game any team can win.’ Not exactly. This century, if we leave Muller’s Bayern Munich out of it, there have been 25 meetings of English and German clubs in knockout European ties — 17 times the English club has progressed, including final victories. In fact, since 2009, the only English club eliminated by the other Bundesliga teams in knockout games is Tottenham — by Borussia Dortmund in 2016, and RB Leipzig last year. Munich are different. Munich have a good record against English clubs. They have knocked out Arsenal four times in recent seasons, Manchester United three times, Chelsea once. But that’s Munich, not German football. Dortmund’s Champions League final appearance in 2013 is the only time since 2002 a Bundesliga club other than Munich has got that far. There has been one German finalist in the Europa League or UEFA Cup since 2002, and none since Werder Bremen in 2009. Muller (above) said having the biggest league isn’t the same as having the best, but it is certainly preferable to having one great club. The strength in depth of German football is greatly overstated.