“The second leg will be different” – Thomas Müller predicts Bayern's decisive semi-final clash with PSG in Munich
“The second leg will be different” – Thomas Müller predicts Bayern's decisive semi-final clash with PSG in Munich Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller watched his former side lose 5-4 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in Paris last week. In his newsletter, the former Germany international describes the match as a “spectacle” and a “true advertisement” for football. However, while some have suggested the second leg could produce a similarly open encounter, Müller expects a different dynamic due to the nature of the return fixture.
“My thesis: the second leg will be different. From the 60th minute onwards, both teams will have the result in mind, and that’s when the adjustments come. Whoever is in the lead will be willing to sit a bit deeper, while the other takes control.
That dynamic will shape the return leg,” Müller wrote. Despite Bayern trailing by one goal, Müller is optimistic of seeing his ex-club progress to the final. “5-4 is not a disaster.
There are more comfortable situations, of course. But Paris only have a one-goal advantage, and the second leg is at home,” the 36-year-old added before he went on to praise Bayern's response after going 5-2 down. “I actually liked Bayern’s performance in Paris even more than in the Madrid matches [in the quarter-finals].
That consistency in their own game and that level of belief – it matters, because mentally you first have to process going 5-2 down. Bayern kept playing their football. No reckless, all-out chaos – just a confident push for a comeback.