Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller has to revive fury from two years ago against Barcelona

If Muller, the world champion, the European club champion, the thermometer of Bayern’s mood, is engaged early and regularly in the action on Tuesday night, Barcelona should be concerned, writes Ian Hawkey.

Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller says his team will lay out a plan for Barcelona before Tuesday night’s meeting in Munich. Peter Kneffel / EPA

Thomas Muller is confident there will be a plan. He can recall a recent precedent for an emphatic Bayern Munich comeback and he can remember how his team whipped Barcelona at the Allianz Arena by the kind of margin that would work for them on Tuesday night.

“We will get together and lay out our plan,” Muller said on Saturday after Bayern slumped to a fourth successive defeat, against Augsburg, in a Bundesliga the club have already won. “That’s what we did for the return leg against Porto, and now we must try and make it work again.”

Porto, last month, took a 3-1 lead to Bavaria in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final. Bayern scored six times to invert the overall aggregate.

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Barcelona, 3-0 leaders in the semi-final after last week’s 90 minutes in Catalonia, arrive with a different aura, but if Bayern can apply pressure to any of the bruises they inflicted on Barca two years ago at this stage of the European Cup, then a belief they can progress will grow.

Muller recalls that day vividly. He roared out of the Allianz with the fourth goal of a 4-0 rout, having created among barcelonistas a special, lasting grudge against him.

It came from a moment, just before Bayern’s third goal. Muller, studiously and strongly, put his body in front of the diminutive Jordi Alba to stop the Barca full-back challenging Arjen Robben, who then zipped clear to score. It was, clearly, an obstruction; it went unpunished.

In the overall assessment of what would become a 7-0 aggregate victory in the year Bayern went on to win the Champions League, the incident hardly made a difference, but it helped to define Muller as a villain in the eyes of a Barca who have spent much of the period since evolving into a tougher, more muscular side.

The Muller moment, that calculated collision between his slender but steely frame and Alba, the shortest of Barca’s elfish passers-and-movers, seemed to epitomise a transition of power.

Barca were bullied that night, boys against men.

The Barcelona who overwhelmed Bayern at Camp Nou six days ago still have Alba in the side, they still have the delicate Andres Iniesta, and they have Lionel Messi, but they are less ready to be muscled aside, or to bow to Bayern aggression.

“This team can be a bit cool sometimes,” said Luis Enrique, the Barcelona coach who has done most to develop a controlled snarl about a team most admired for its elegance on the ball. He pointed to the character, the fire, of Luis Suarez as one antidote to that.

The most overheated player during the first leg appeared to be Muller. On being substituted by Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, Muller directed words at his manager.

Muller had not imposed himself on the game, not used his clever instinct for finding space, not shown off his awareness of teammates’ runs, not launched any of his slightly gawky, but effective dribbles.

In some respects Muller has much in common with the classic Barcelona attacking midfielder, in how he sees the through-ball others do not, in his close control.

But he will always look more awkward on the eye than an Iniesta or a Xavi, because of his gangliness. He will not always win universal acclaim, either, because of his cunning, cynical streak. The foul on Alba in that 2013 semi-final pushed the boundaries of legality.

If Muller, the world champion, the European club champion, the thermometer of Bayern’s mood, is engaged early and regularly in the action on Tuesday night, Barcelona should be concerned. If he is not a main part of the plan, they may be rather relieved.

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