Could Thomas Müller be the next Miroslav Klose for Germany?

Thomas Müller scored a beauty for Germany against France, underlining that perhaps he could be the solution for his country's problems at the no.9 position.

When Julian Nagelsmann is officially unveiled as the new head coach of the German national team, he will inherit a squad full of talent but also one with some obvious holes. One significant hole will be the no.9 position, which Germany has been trying to patch over ever since Miroslav Klose retired from international duty in 2014. But Thomas Müller and his performance against France might offer a decent option that could actually be a repeat of the late Klose years.

Indeed, Müller’s goal was a rarity since Klose retired nine years ago: a true no. 9 goal. The 34-year-old received an inside-the-box cross from Benjamin Henrichs, shielded it with his body, turned and slammed it past French goalkeeper Mike Maignan. It was Müller’s 45th goal for Germany in his 123rd game.

It was also Müller’s 23 goal in 68 games since the World Cup. Indeed, it wasn’t the first time he started as a center-forward since Klose retired. Since the 2014 World Cup, Müller has started 14 games as a center-forward, scoring five times. The concept of Müller playing as a no.9, in fact, goes back to the Klose era. Müller started three games as a striker in Brazil, scoring three of his five goals from that position.