Muller cannot foresee Bundesliga dominance for Bayern slowing down

Thomas Muller has been a part of a record 11 Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, and he cannot see their dominance slowing down in the foreseeable future.

Bayern cruised to a 10th straight Bundesliga title with ease, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

Manuel Neuer and Muller are the only Bayern stars to be involved in each of the last 10 championship successes, with the 2010 World Cup Golden Boot winner developing further in the twilight of his career.

The Germany forward registered 26 goal involvements in the Bundesliga this season (eight goals, 18 assists), only bettering that tally in 2019-20 and 2020-12 (both 29).

Competition within the German top flight has been questioned after the prolonged period of Bayern dominance, with RB Leipzig and Dortmund the only likely contenders to challenge for the title.

But Muller cannot predict a season in which Bayern do not win the league, at least while he is still involved with Julian Nagelsmann’s side.

Da ist das Ding! #meisterfeier #marienplatz #münchen #fcbayern #esmuellert pic.twitter.com/RCtVtb1Z2T

— Thomas Müller (@esmuellert_) May 15, 2022

“I’m not alone behind the wheel, but the answer is of course: no way!,” he told Bayern magazine ’51’ when asked if the Bavarian giants’ Bundesliga reign would soon end.

“As competitive athletes, we are always driven to a large extent – and we at FC Bayern are punished in public if we win ‘only’ 3-0. 

“The expectations here are so high that they spur you on all the time. I don’t see any natural mechanism that should slow us down. 

“For the coming years, I assume that FC Bayern will always score between 75 and 85 points each season. That means if another team wants to become champions, they have to be able to beat that score. 

“It will not happen that we go down from that. We have work to drive the division – and among other things, we have me as the lane-keeping assistant.”

Thomas Müller made the @OptaFranz Bundesliga TOTS, which comes as little surprise when you see how far ahead he is in the viz below.

Which other players made the cut? Find out here. https://t.co/9X0SvVtLKM @esmuellert_ @FCBayernEN pic.twitter.com/fBHovd5RjO

— The Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) May 20, 2022

Muller extended his stay with Bayern until at least 2024, by which point he will be 34.

Nevertheless, the versatile attacker remains committed to the cause with Nagelsmann’s side, even if his output in front of goal drops towards the end of his illustrious career.

“When I realise that it’s getting too exhausting for me, that I can no longer face the daily competition at this level, then I have the courage to react to it,” he added.

“Then the question arises as to how else I can contribute to my team. Then it is no longer the main task to be directly involved in x goals every year, but to support others in scoring these goals. But there’s still a while to go.

“Especially when it comes to football, I don’t get nervous easily because I know from experience that I can basically deal with any challenge.

“Setbacks are also part of life – the decisive factor is what you make of them. The prospect of the positive drives you, not the fear of the negative.”