After a remarkable career with the German national team, Thomas Müller (34) announced his retirement from international football after representing his nation 131 times and scoring 45 times over a 14 year period, which included lifting the 2014 World Cup.
A personality in the dressing room, Müller will be difficult to replace. Speaking in an extensive interview with Kicker, Pascal Groß (33) discussed compensating for the loss of key players, which includes Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gündogan, as well as Müller.
“We don’t have to restructure much internally, but of course we have lost great players who cannot be replaced one-on-one,” said the Borussia Dortmund player. “It’s important for us to quickly establish connections with each other on the pitch. We bring different philosophies with us from the clubs, but here we have a common one that the national coach has taught us and that has not changed. So we are not starting from scratch.”
Specifically addressing Müller, Groß added that “Thomas is irreplaceable.
“In many ways. He’s a very special character who manages to get a group involved with his manner and his humour. And yet he has this seriousness, the desire to win every training game. This mixture is very special. And then there is his class on the pitch.”
Germany host Hungary on Saturday night for their first of two UEFA Nations League games, before heading to the Netherlands on Tuesday.
