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Mulling the Mueller paradox

Osama Rahman
When Germany met Portugal at Salvador, many believed that the match would go towards putting an end to a number of debates in the modern game. The most burning of the issues was the relevance of an out and out striker in the game today. Spain's 'false 9' dominance over the years, the English game's casual brushing off of target men and the emergence of the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Goetze, Neymar and even Cesc Fabregas, all led to the school of thought that football no longer needs the fox in the box.
To put the theory' to test, a game such as this provided the perfect test conditions. On the opposite end of the field, Cristiano Ronaldo was chosen, obviously, to lead the front line for Portugal. Although famed as a winger, Ronaldo was allowed the free-role he desires to drift in and out, making trademark darts
from the flank but steadily being forced to contribute to linking up play as opposed to making the most of dangerous through balls and crosses. Again not a traditional striker, Ronaldo, the 2014 Ballon d'Or winner, found himself behind an increasingly poor Hugo Almeida.
Joachim Loew's masterstroke decision to start Thomas Mueller as Germany's forward was met with a few raised eyebrows. Although undeniably talented, the lanky winger came off as lucky to be at the right place at the right time in previous tournaments. Tall, shaggy and skinny' in build, Muller is Germany's enigma. Far removed from past German strikers, who were all glitz, glam and thank you ma'ams, Mueller's relative anonymity reflects the one shared by Miroslav Klose. With the latter one goal shy of the Brazilian Ronaldo's mark, it seems the record is Mueller's for the taking, whether Klose breaks it or not.
Muller made light work of Pepe and co. The unpredictable Portuguese defence imploded just two goals down, with Pepe showing Muller how to get himself sent off, head-butting Mueller for his reaction to a flaying Pepe arm. Mueller, Mario Goetze and Sammy Khedira continued to make a mockery of Paulo Bento's defensive set-up, culminating in Mueller writing his name in the history books with the tournament's first hattrick. The beauty behind the hattrick was the effortlessness. A calm penalty, a quick reaction to the poorest of clearances and excellent eye for goal, all qualities testament to a great striker in the making. However, while you could openly applaud Mueller's game, you'd be forgiven for secretly wondering where the rest of him is.
The 24-year-old already has eight World Cup goals to his name, yet he lacks pace, deft skills and the silky touches and dribbling skills that make strikers and even wingers like himself famous. Mueller, in all evidence, has always been a ghost from the by-gone era of poachers and clinical finishers, paradoxically in the wrong position in the wrong time. He is also the answer to the question whether there is place for an out and out striker in the modern game. There is, provided his name is Mueller and he can play anywhere on the forward line.
In the end, Germany may have eased past Portugal's challenge. A more than lax defence may have helped the German's cause but other teams will not be so forgiving. Let's hope Mueller doesn't become to Germany what Thierry Henry was to Arsenal; a brilliant striker/winger in a team that just could not complete the job anymore.