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- Davies questioned Muller’s mobility
- Meola said he should be a No. 10 for Vancouver
- How will playing style mesh with Whitecaps?
While Bayern Munich legend Thomas Muller is reportedly close to making a move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, former USMNT striker Charlie Davies questioned whether the German international still has the necessary physical attributes to thrive in MLS – comparing his situation to Olivier Giroud’s challenges.
“We all know how good Thomas Muller is when you’re talking about his movement in the box, finishing,” Davies said on CBS Sports Golazo America. “When you talk about creating opportunities in the final-third, just high IQ. But he’s later on in his career, he doesn’t have the legs that he used to have. And if you’re talking about transition game, similar to what we saw with Olivier Giroud at LAFC – if it’s not a good fit, it’s not a good fit. Is the city a great fit for for him? Absolutely…
“But in terms of, how does he fit within that team? If you told me as a 9? Well yeah he would fit, absolutely. But Brian White’s there, so what do you do with Brian White? Is he playing the 10, you know? OK, he could play the 10. More work will need to be done but he’s a top player.”
Former USMNT star Tony Meola insisted Muller would need to play as a No. 10 positioned close to White in Vancouver’s 4-2-3-1 system. He emphasized that head coach Jesper Sorensen likely already has a specific tactical plan for integrating Muller.
“When they play that 4-2-3-1, he’s got a place to 10, right?” Meola said. “He’s got to play as close to Brian White as possible. I guess the issue or the change for him is that they like to press the ball when it turns over, right? They like to get after the ball and does he want to do that for 90 minutes? if you’ve ever had a chance to talk to, yes, for Sorensen… the guy’s picture is really clear.
“So I’m guessing that they have a real idea. This isn’t like someone where the league says, ‘Hey, we got this superstar and we’re gonna get them to your team and he’s going to come and you just fit him in how you want.'”
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Muller left Bayern Munich after spending his entire playing career with the Bavarian giants. He is the club’s all-time appearance holder with 503, netting 250 goals and 231 assists across all competitions.
Vancouver Whitecaps will need to finalize rights negotiations with FC Cincinnati. Reports have indicated that the German and Vancouver have reached an agreement on personal terms.
