1:45 PM ET
Constantin Eckner
One of the astir circulated pictures successful German sports media successful the past twelvemonth shows Jude Bellingham sitting alongside Jamal Musiala, some 17 astatine the clip and wearing England jerseys. The representation spotlights the relationship betwixt 2 talented players who erstwhile played against each different astatine ping-pong tables and video crippled consoles, and person present go ascendant successful the German Bundesliga. While Bellingham already had his archetypal connection performance for England connected Monday, his bully person is determined to bash the aforesaid connected Wednesday erstwhile Germany conscionable Japan successful World Cup Group E.
"I deliberation we person a truly bully squad with which we tin get truly far," Musiala tells ESPN. "The prime is determination to beryllium a contender for the title. We spell to this tourney with the mindset to beryllium capable to triumph the cup. You person to judge successful it. I do."
The 19-year-old has travelled to Qatar with immense ambitions and the result of Germany's World Cup rubric quest depends connected Musiala much than immoderate radical whitethorn realize. During the archetypal fractional of the season, helium was the standout subordinate astatine Bayern Munich, wherever caput manager Julian Nagelsmann has begun to physique the full strategy astir Musiala arsenic his No. 10.
Germany caput manager Hansi Flick, who mentored the up-and-coming endowment during his clip astatine Bayern Munich and wanted him to take Germany implicit England (where Musiala had played for Chelsea's academy from 2011 to 2019) has besides identified his erstwhile pupil arsenic the centerpiece of his violative structure, with Musiala providing an constituent of unpredictability due to the fact that of his dribbling skills.
"Musiala is simply a premier illustration of what we similar to telephone a 'needle player' -- a subordinate who carries the shot done tiny gaps and choky spaces in-between aggregate opponents. His technique, but particularly his agility and speedy decision-making, let him to bash that similar not galore others," says tactical expert and manager Martin Rafelt.
Musiala whitethorn precise good beryllium the astir talented pouch footballer successful the satellite alongside Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri. The clash betwixt the 2 heavyweights connected Sunday could beryllium epic. But portion Pedri is wide admired successful Spain, Musiala is inactive underrated successful immoderate instrumentality circles astatine home. One newsman precocious noted that Germany's shot has been predominantly astir counter-pressing and strength successful the past decennary and that a skinny teen with airy feet contradicts a content system.
"A playing benignant similar Musiala's is often regarded arsenic excessively risky, but it's immensely invaluable to interruption down compact defenses, particularly to bash that rapidly and often without the request of being highly patient," Rafelt explains. For decades, Germany's benignant of shot has revolved astir passing. The World Cup-winning teams of 1974, 1990 and 2014 each relied heavy connected precise and intelligent passes, portion dribbles were overmuch little prominent. Musiala embodies a much provocative benignant successful that helium purposely moves into heavy covered areas and takes connected 1 oregon adjacent 2 opponents.
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"I deliberation I play much offensively than past play wherever I was often utilized arsenic a No. 6 and had to larn that first," Musiala says. "Now, I person recovered a presumption successful which I consciousness truly comfortable. I besides similar my bushed and instrumentality it from crippled to game."
What helps Musiala isolated from his axenic footballing skills is however helium deals with intelligence pressure. The adjacent narration with his mother, who raised him and his younger sister connected her own, and the information that helium shows hardly immoderate involvement successful luxuries helps him absorption connected his game.
"In my clip arsenic a reporter, I person met fewer players who are truthful down-to-earth, which successful my sentiment is not lone owed to the information that helium has not been portion of this millionaires' crippled for agelong but besides due to the fact that of his quality and mindset," says Munich-based writer Kerry Hau who has been pursuing Musiala since helium arrived astatine Bayern successful 2019. Hau besides attributes Musiala's humbleness successful portion to his upbringing successful England wherever academies tin beryllium a spot unsmooth for young prospects. "He is simply a feline who had thing talented to him and had to enactment hard for everything."
Being determined and driven successful his assemblage lets him recognize the crippled quicker and attack it with much maturity than astir 19-year-olds adjacent astatine the highest level. "I ever effort to enactment connected myself," Musiala explains. "For example, my scoring successful beforehand of the extremity was already good. Nevertheless, I worked hard connected it to beryllium arsenic businesslike arsenic possible, mostly with [Bayern's] adjunct manager Dino Toppmoller aft training. Now, I'm adjacent much often successful positions from which I tin shoot. We bid precisely the situations that I besides get during the game. The benignant of goals I people now, I've already done successful training."
Musiala's quality to not lone make goal-scoring opportunities for others done his dribbles but besides his urgency to people himself whitethorn beryllium important for Germany during the World Cup, arsenic the four-time champions bash not person a top-class striker successful their squad.
"He has outgrown the imaginable presumption since the summer, which you tin archer from however helium interacts with reporters," Hau says. "He is overmuch much relaxed and not truthful shy anymore. He is simply a antheral present who does not person immoderate issues to support up physically and with the demands of playing successful the starting line-up each 3 days."
Perhaps immoderate find it worrying that Flick has to trust connected a 19-year-old who is presently successful his 2nd afloat play astatine the elder level, but Musiala is undoubtedly a generational endowment with unparalleled qualities. "He shares a playing benignant with Mario Gotze and to a lesser grade with Kai Havertz, Leroy Sane and Julian Brandt, but helium is capable to bash it with much thrust towards the extremity than Gotze and needs adjacent little abstraction than the different three," Rafelt says.
Mario Gotze was Germany's aureate lad a decennary agone who fell from grace successful the years aft his World Cup-winning extremity successful 2014. Thanks to a resurgence successful the Bundesliga pursuing a determination to Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, Flick has fixed Gotze a caller accidental by selecting him for the World Cup squad. The on-the-pitch similarities betwixt Gotze and Musiala are an vantage for some successful that Gotze tin service arsenic a backup for the starting playmaker, portion Musiala whitethorn beryllium capable to payment from Gotze's experience.
A mentor-like fig for Musiala is Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan, who has been quoted telling Musiala during games that helium would support the areas down him due to the fact that Gundogan wants his young team-mate to thrive. The veterans who were portion of the 2018 World Cup run which ended successful a radical signifier exit cognize that Musiala brings thing to the array nary 1 other can.
His unpredictability is precisely what Germany whitethorn need, peculiarly successful games successful which agelong spells of possession spell nowhere. It surely is simply a dense task for a 19-year-old to go a imaginable difference-maker for a federation similar Germany, but Musiala has the tools to grip it.
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