Vincent Kompany lauded the influence of Thomas Muller after the Bayern Munich forward capped his record-breaking outing with a goal against Freiburg.

Muller made his 710th appearance across all competitions for Bayern, coming off the bench to overtake the record for the most outings for the club, set by goalkeeper Sepp Maier, who retired in 1979.

The Germany veteran marked the milestone in style, scoring to seal a 2-0 victory for Bayern after Harry Kane was also on target with a penalty on Sunday.

Muller made his Bayern debut back in 2008 when Kompany appeared in his final club appearance in Germany, before the Belgian boss left Hamburg to join Manchester City.

Their careers have now met once again, with Kompany moving to the touchline, and the Bayern head coach is delighted to have reunited with Muller in a bizarre twist of fate.

"Outstanding. I witnessed his first game. I was there with Hamburg on this pitch. 710 games later, it's unbelievable," Kompany said.

"He gave 100% in 710 games, but not only in the games, but also in training. That's what makes Thomas so special.

"There are a few more games that he can still play and we are definitely pleased that he's got a few more in his locker and the fact that he can keep going like this, it's so important for us."

Muller has now found the net in a joint-record 16 successive German top-flight seasons, matching Holger Fach, Mats Hummels, Bernd Nickel, Olaf Thon and Michael Zorc.

His 150th Bundesliga goal on Sunday, sweeping home from Serge Gnabry's cross, marked the perfect end to a special day for the 34-year-old.

As for Bayern overall, Kompany said his side's performance dipped after the break, but luckily he has players like Muller he can call upon when the need arises.

"Very positive first half, and then in the second half we were just one step later than Freiburg on second balls, and we lost a little bit of the momentum," he said.

"But then I have to say that we're very fortunate to have very good players that can come on and make the difference, and Thomas Muller came on, Kingsley Coman too, and the players from the bench were very important for us to win this game.

"Positives and things to learn and we also got to celebrate a fantastic moment for Thomas Muller and that was important as well for us today."

Thomas Muller is now the outright record-holder for Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich.

Muller came off the bench on Sunday to help Bayern come from behind to beat Wolfsburg in Vincent Kompany's first league game in charge.

It marked Muller's 474th Bundesliga match for the club, seeing him overtake Sepp Maier as Bayern's record appearance-maker in the competition.

The 34-year-old made an immediate impact after his introduction, helping to force Jakub Kaminski to turn into his own goal to restore parity.

Muller, who also played a role in the winner on Sunday when he put in Harry Kane, who in turn teed up Serge Gnabry, has now won 340 Bundesliga matches, which is more than any other player in the competition since he made his Bayern debut.

In that same period, Muller has scored 149 league goals, which ranks third in Germany's top tier, while providing a competition-leading 169 assists and creating 927 goalscoring opportunities.

Vincent Kompany was impressed with Bayern Munich's energy while Thomas Muller revelled in a "fun" victory over Ulm in the DFB-Pokal.

Kompany's first competitive match in charge of Bayern ended in a resounding 4-0 win on Friday.

Muller's first-half brace got the ball rolling for Bayern, with Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane coming off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat going the other way.

Bayern had 16 shots and accumulated 3.28 expected goals (xG) in a dominant performance that impressed their new coach.

"I'm happy. We started well and were 2-0 up early on," said Kompany, as reported by Bayern's website.

"I'm also very happy that we kept a clean sheet. Games like this aren't always easy.

"It wasn't always perfect, but we played with discipline, and 4-0 is good, now we're moving on. The important thing is that we show the right energy. That's the basis, it has to be there."

Muller's goals came inside the first 14 minutes. In his 708th competitive Bayern game, it is the earliest he has ever scored a double.

He said: "We wanted to implement a lot of what we have worked on in the last few weeks. It's fun, I feel good, I'm in good shape physically, I did my job, had a few good moves, I'm happy about that.

"If you look at how we work against the ball and the way we tackle, you can see a difference to what didn't do us so much good last year. I thought it was a good performance, even if there is still room for improvement with the ball."

Thomas Muller's first-half brace ensured Vincent Kompany got off to a winning start at Bayern Munich as they beat Ulm 4-0 in the DFB-Pokal first round.

Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane came off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat against a dominant Bayern side.

The hosts did almost cause an early shock though, as Maurice Krattenmacher was left unmarked at the far post, but he could not adjust quickly enough and turned his first-time shot wide.

Joshua Kimmich then unlocked Ulm's defence with a throughball into Stanisic, who did brilliantly while off-balance to set up Muller for his first of the game.

And just two minutes later, the forward had his second – Christian Ortag was drawn to Serge Gnabry's run, leaving Muller to tap it into the empty net.

The hosts showed some fight in the second half, with Dennis Chessa forcing Manuel Neuer into a low save before Bayern finally got their third in the 79th minute, as Michael Olise's trickery set Coman up for a close-range finish. 

Kane had a goal ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, but he was not to be denied as he headed in a fourth with the final touch of the game. 

Data Debrief: Muller at the double

Muller is off the mark for the season, and he wasted no time in doing it. He scored his earliest brace for Bayern (14 minutes) in his 708th competitive match for the club.

It was a clinical performance from the 34-year-old, who scored with both of his shots on target as he registered an expected goals of 1.42, and only Jamal Musiala (eight) had more touches in the opposition box than him (seven).

Bayern Munich hold on to earn a 3-2 friendly win over Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Dejan Kulusevski's strikes bookended the goals, with Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller's first-half efforts enough to see out the victory.

The home fans were immediately treated to an opener, as Kulusevski netted from close range after just 26 seconds, though they failed to build any momentum on the back of it.

Bayern's pressure soon paid off as Upamecano latched onto Mathys Tel's saved shot to bundle in an equaliser in the 16th minute.

Gnabry turned the game on its head just after the half-hour mark, getting the better of Guglielmo Vicario from long range, and a third goal was not far behind, with Muller heading Bayern into a two-goal lead on the stroke of half-time.

Spurs improved after the break though, and they got their reward as Kulusevski got his second of the game with a drilled finish into the bottom-right corner of Neuer's net.

Former Spurs captain Harry Kane made an appearance off the bench to a standing ovation almost one year on from his departure but failed to trouble Vicario with a couple of long-range strikes after Joshua Kimmich had struck the woodwork. 

Data Debrief: Missing that clinical edge

While the scoreline suggested a tight game, it could have been a much different story if Bayern had taken more of their many chances.

They had 20 shots on Spurs' goal, getting seven of them on target, while they also had 37 touches in the opposition box, though Vincent Kompany's frustration at their lack of a clinical edge in the second half.

Meanwhile, Spurs have suffered back-to-back defeats against Bayern to finish pre-season, leaving Ange Postecoglou with some problems to solve ahead of their Premier League opener.

Thomas Muller has retired from international football following the end of Euro 2024, having represented Germany 131 times in 14 years.

Muller played a minor role at Germany's home tournament, coming off the bench for a total of 58 minutes in their group-stage win over Scotland and their quarter-final defeat to Spain.

The Bayern Munich legend, who turns 35 in September, scored 45 times for his country, winning the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Four years later, Muller netted five times as Germany won the 2014 World Cup, including a group-stage hat-trick versus Portugal and a goal in Die Nationalelf's memorable 7-1 semi-final rout of hosts Brazil.

One day after Spain's final victory over England brought the curtain down on Euro 2024, Muller took to social media to announce the end of his international career.

Alongside a video displaying his best moments in a Germany shirt, Muller wrote: "Hello, thank you very much for your fantastic support during my time with Germany."

The German Football Association (DFB) also posted a montage of Muller's best moments on X, alongside the caption: "Unique on and off the pitch! We will miss you… Thank you for everything!"

Muller is the second Germany great to exit the international arena in the wake of Euro 2024, with Toni Kroos retiring from all forms of football at the tournament's conclusion.

Julian Nagelsmann has named a 27-man provisional squad for hosts Germany ahead of Euro 2024.

The biggest surprise in the squad was the inclusion of a fourth goalkeeper, as Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nubel received his first senior call-up.

Mats Hummels is one of the big names left out despite helping Borussia Dortmund on their way to the Champions League final, while Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka is also absent once more. 

Julian Brandt, Niklas Sule and Karim Adeyemi miss out on a place in the tournament, while Serge Gnabry and Timo Werner are both out through injury.

After winning just one of his first four games in charge, Nagelsmann changed things in March and was rewarded with back-to-back victories.

Nico Schlotterbeck won 71 per cent of his tackles in the Bundesliga - the highest figure in Europe's big-five leagues this season (at least 70 tackles), and is back in the national squad for the first time since September.

Aleksandar Pavlovic missed the March friendlies due to injury but is a welcome recall - Bayern have an 83.3 per cent win ratio with Pavlovic in their team in the Bundesliga this season, but that drops to 53.3 per cent when he is not in the side.

Schlotterbeck, Niclas Fullkrug, Toni Kroos and Antonio Rudiger will all link up with the squad late due to their involvement in the Champions League final.

The final 26-man squad must be submitted on June 7, meaning at least one player will be dropped before the start of the tournament.

As the tournament hosts, Germany begin their Euro 2024 campaign in the opening game against Scotland on June 14.

Germany squad

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhruch (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)

Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Denis Undav (Stuttgart)

Harry Kane scored twice to surpass the 400-goal mark for his senior career and guide Bayern Munich to a 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

The Bavarians, who saw Bayer Leverkusen end their 11-year-Bundesliga reign by securing the league crown two weeks ago, have only the Champions League trophy to fight for with departing coach Thomas Tuchel eager to leave on a high note.

Bayern warmed up for Tuesday's semi-final first leg against Real Madrid with three points at the Allianz Arena, denting Eintracht's hopes of European qualification in the process.

They went in front with Kane tapping in after a fine run from Konrad Laimer in the ninth minute, though the Austrian had to be taken off injured later on.

Eintracht levelled in the 23rd minute with Hugo Ekitike's shot from 18 yards out but Kane restored order with a penalty just past the hour for his 35th league goal of the campaign.

It was his 400th career goal at senior level for club and country and his 42nd this season across all competitions, a personal best for the England captain.

The hosts also had to take off defender Matthijs de Ligt at half-time after he was on the wrong end of some rough challenges, potentially giving Tuchel another selection headache ahead of Tuesday's tussle with Los Blancos.

Bayern remain in second place with three games left to play on 69 points, 11 behind Leverkusen, who are in action against third-placed Stuttgart later on Saturday.

Harry Kane surpassed the 400-goal mark for his senior career as his double helped Bayern Munich beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Kane moved within one of the milestone as he put Bayern 1-0 up after just nine minutes, coolly finishing from close range after Konrad Laimer's pass had set him up.

Then, after Frankfurt levelled through Hugo Ekitike, Kane slotted home a penalty with typical aplomb following a foul on Thomas Muller to move himself onto 400 career goals and ultimately lead Bayern to victory.

Kane scored 280 of his goals in 435 appearances for Tottenham, overtaking Jimmy Greaves to become the club's all-time leading scorer when he netted for the 267th time in Spurs colours against Manchester City last February.

His tally of 213 Premier League goals, meanwhile, puts him just 47 behind the competition's all-time leader Alan Shearer, who scored 260 times for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

Kane is also the most prolific player in England's history, his 62 goals for the Three Lions coming in 89 international appearances. 

He memorably missed the chance to surpass Wayne Rooney's previous record of 53 when he blazed a penalty over the crossbar in the Three Lions' quarter-final defeat to France at the 2022 World Cup, only to clinch his place in history in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy three months later.

The very first goal of Kane's senior career came in League One during a loan spell with Leyton Orient as they thrashed Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 in January 2011.

That was the first of five goals Kane scored in O's colours, while he also netted nine times in a loan spell with Millwall in 2011-12 and twice during a stint with Leicester City the following season.

A superb second-half strike by Raphael Guerreiro helped Bayern Munich to a 2-0 win against Koln and keep the champagne on ice in Leverkusen.

Defeat for Thomas Tuchel’s side would have confirmed Bayer Leverkusen as Bundesliga champions but the current holders claimed a hard-fought victory.

It had been a difficult period for Bayern, who had lost both league fixtures since the international break, but they battled to a 2-2 draw at Arsenal on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

While Bayern’s focus was on more European glory this season, they were determined to return to winning ways domestically and they hit the post twice in the first half, once through Harry Kane.

Kane was unable to add to his tally, but the hosts were eventually indebted to Guerreiro’s outstanding 65th-minute effort before Thomas Muller added a late second to ensure all eyes are now on Leverkusen to see if they can clinch the title with victory at home to Werder Bremen on Sunday.

Tuchel made a raft of changes, with Bayern’s priority being next week’s tie with Arsenal.

Manuel Neuer and Leroy Sane were not in the squad but Kane did start and helped Munich dominate possession in the opening exchanges.

The first clear-cut chance when to Koln but fortunately for Bayern, Faride Alidou fired wide from a tight angle.

It was a sign of things to come, though, as Sven Ulreich, recalled for the rested Neuer, produced a superb save to keep the score goalless when he clawed away a header by Sargis Adamyan midway through the half.

Bayern had yet to seriously test Koln goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe until he denied Guerreiro on the half-hour mark following an excellent ball by Kane.

Slowly Kane’s influence was beginning to grow and he hit a post shortly afterwards when Muller flicked the ball through to the England captain, but his low effort smashed against the woodwork.

Further chances went Kane’s way but he drilled one effort wide before diverting another header off target.

Koln responded well and should have taken the lead on the stroke of half-time when Maz Finkgrafe produced another excellent ball into the area, but Alidou could only head wide.

An action-packed first 45 at Allianz Arena concluded with a Mathys Tel curler striking a post to ensure it stayed level at the break.

Bayern were dealt a blow early in the second half when Kingsley Coman went off to make him an immediate doubt for the midweek visit of Arsenal.

Jamal Musiala replaced Coman and his first involvement almost resulted in the breakthrough, but he fired over.

The pressure continued and Tel’s forced Schwabe into an excellent diving save soon after before the opener did arrive in the 65th minute.

A short corner by Joshua Kimmich found Guerreiro who let fly from 25 yards and watched his dipping left-footed effort nestle into the corner.

There was a sense of relief around the stadium, but Koln were not about to roll over and Ulreich had to save a long-range effort from substitute Benno Schmitz.

Better was to follow when Ulreich thwarted Steffen Tigges from close range after a poor pass by Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano, before the hosts did seal the points when Muller slotted home deep into stoppage time.

England captain Harry Kane made Bundesliga history as he became the first man to score four hat-tricks in a debut season as Bayern Munich routed lowly Mainz 8-1.

Kane struck after 13 minutes, in first-half stoppage time and 20 minutes from the whistle to take his tally for the season to 30 league goals, in the process equalling Uwe Seeler’s record in a first campaign in Germany’s top flight.

Leon Goretzka helped himself to a double and goals from Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala and substitute Serge Gnabry, with Nadiem Amiri replying for the visitors, completed a win which eased Bayern back to within seven points of leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who host Wolfsburg on Sunday.

There were goals too at Borussia Park as Monchengladbach and Cologne played out a 3-3 thriller.

Faride Alidou put the visitors in front after just seven minutes and then restored their advantage after Franck Honorat had levelled.

Robin Hack made it 2-2 and then fired the home side ahead with his goals coming in as many minutes, but Damion Downs ensured the spoils were shared.

Ten-man Borussia Dortmund maintained their place in the top four with a battling 2-1 win at Werder Bremen.

The visitors looked to be cruising when first-half goals from Donyell Malen and Jadon Sancho put them 2-0 up, but Marcel Sabitzer’s stoppage-time dismissal for a challenge on Mitchell Weiser left his side up against it, although Justin Njinmah’s strike 20 minutes from time was as good as it got for the hosts.

Thomas Isherwood’s own goal and a second from Christoph Baumgartner handed RB Leipzig a 2-0 win over rock-bottom Darmstadt, while Jeffrey Gouweleeuw’s first-half strike was enough to hand Augsburg a 1-0 win over Heidenheim.

Inter Milan moved 18 points clear at the top of Serie A with a hard-fought victory at Bologna.

Yann Bisseck’s first-half header clinched a 13th successive win in all competitions and stretched Inter’s advantage over second-placed Juventus, who host Atalanta on Sunday.

Substitute Eldor Shomurodov scored twice to help ease Cagliari to a precious 4-2 victory over bottom-of-the-table Salernitana.

First-half efforts from Gianluca Lapadula and Gianluca Gaetano and Shomurodov’s first put the home side 3-0 ahead and although Grigoris Kastanos and Giulio Maggiore dragged the visitors back into it, Shomurodov made sure with 14 minutes remaining.

Kristian Thorstvedt fired Sassuolo to a first league win in nine attempts as his goal secured a 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers Frosinone, for whom substitute Kaio Jorge missed a late penalty.

Substitute Daniel Maldini came to Monza’s rescue with a late winner to see off Genoa in a mid-table battle at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

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The visitors led 2-0 through Matteo Pessina and Dany Mota, but goals from Albert Gudmundsson and Vitinha made it 2-2 before Maldini won it with 11 minutes left.

In LaLiga, fine finishes from Portu and Savio sent Girona back above Barcelona into second place courtesy of a battling win over Osasuna.

Portu’s sweet first-half strike and a deft toe-poke from Savio sealed a 2-0 victory at the Municipal de Montilivi Stadium in which Michel’s men created enough chances to have won far more comfortably.

Real Sociedad needed a late goal from Andre Silva to maintain their bid for a top-six finish with a 3-2 win at Granada.

The hosts led 1-0 and 2-1 courtesy of Myrto Uzini’s double either side of Umar Sadiq’s equaliser, but were pegged back with 10 minutes remaining when Robin Le Normand levelled to set the stage for Silva to win it five minutes later.

Juanmi scored either side of half-time as Cadiz dented Atletico Madrid’s top-four hopes with a 2-0 win at the Ramon de Carranza Stadium, while Hugo Duro’s 40th-minute goal proved sufficient to secure a 1-0 home victory for Valencia over Getafe.

Ruben Aguilar’s first-half header dashed Brest’s hopes of closing the gap on Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain as they went down 1-0 at Lens, while second-half goals from Nicolas Tagliafico and Mama Balde secured a 2-0 win for Lyon at Lorient.

Record-breaking Harry Kane scored his fourth hat-trick of the Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich hammered Mainz 8-1.

Kane’s move to Bayern looks set to coincide with the first time in 12 years they will not win the title, but he is breaking all sorts of individual records.

Another treble saw him take his tally to 30 league goals for the season, with Robert Lewandowski’s seasonal record of 41 under severe threat with nine games to go.

Four hat-tricks is a record in a debut Bundesliga season and reaching 30 means he is just the second-ever player to reach that tally in his debut season, with Uwe Seeler also doing it in the league’s inaugural season in 1963-64.

Leon Goretzka (two), Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, who Kane assisted with an outrageous crossfield pass, and Serge Gnabry also scored as Bayern cut the gap to seven points on leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who have a game in hand.

Kane’s goals have not been able to keep Bayern on the coat-tails of Leverkusen, who had opened up a huge lead at the top of the table.

But the England captain cannot stop scoring and he needed just 13 minutes to open his account when he converted from Musiala’s pass.

Six minutes later Goretzka made it two as he bundled home a rebound after Kane’s header glanced the post.

Kane looked primed to have a chance to add another from 12 yards after they were awarded a penalty for handball, but VAR overturned the decision – and then Mainz got themselves back into the game when Nadiem Amiri rifled home from 25 yards.

But Bayern were in no mood to drop more points and put their visitors to the sword.

Former Tottenham striker Kane made it 3-1 in first-half injury time with a brilliant finish, superbly controlling Goretzka’s cross and firing home.

Muller got in on the act two minutes after the restart as he tapped home Musiala’s cross before the 21-year-old got on the scoresheet himself just after the hour.

He had Kane to thank, though, for delivering a brilliant arching ball that sent him clear and he did the rest.

Gnabry joined in the fun five minutes later with a mesmerising finish, flicking home Goretzka’s cross with his back to goal.

Kane added another match ball to his collection when he got on the end of Eric Dier’s header at the far post to create history.

Goretzka completed a good afternoon’s work in added time as he headed home Joshua Kimmich’s cross.

Harry Kane reached his half-century of European goals with an Allianz Arena double as Bayern Munich turned around their Champions League tie against Lazio to reach the last eight of the competition.

Kane scored twice and Thomas Muller added another to overturn Lazio’s first-leg lead in style and give Bayern a comfortable 3-0 victory in Bavaria.

Lazio’s resistance lasted 38 minutes, but there was only one outcome after Kane levelled the tie on aggregate with his 50th goal in European competition.

Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel sprang a surprise before kick-off by preferring England defender Eric Dier at centre-back to big-money summer purchase Kim Min-jae.

Lazio were aiming to reach a Champions League quarter-final for the first time since 2000 and had the first sight of goal inside five minutes, Matteo Guendouzi firing wide after being set up by Felipe Anderson.

But the pattern of the game was soon set as Bayern dominated possession, territory and chances before an expectant home crowd.

Leroy Sane shot straight at Ivan Provedel in the Lazio goal and Mario Gila stayed alert to block Jamal Musiala from 12 yards.

Provedel batted away Musiala’s firm effort and Gila was in the right place to deflect Kane’s effort wide.

Lazio bodies got in the way again to deny Musiala and Raphael Guerreiro, and Dier headed over Joshua Kimmich’s cross.

It had been one-way traffic for over half-an-hour, but Lazio should have doubled their aggregate lead eight minutes before the break.

Matthijs de Ligt inadvertently flicked Mattia Zaccagni’s cross into the path of Ciro Immobile but the Italy striker planted his header wide from six yards.

It was to prove a very costly miss as Kane instantly punished the Italians.

Muller headed down into a crowded goalmouth, Guerreiro’s mishit effort bounced into the ground, and Kane reacted first with a stooping header that Provedel got in the way of but could not stop.

Musiala sent a close-range opportunity wide and Bayern seized the lead in the tie for the first time in the second minute of stoppage time.

Immobile hoped he had diverted Guerreiro’s corner out of danger, but De Ligt sent back a ferocious volley which Muller headed home from inside the six-yard box.

Lazio had a penalty claim when Immobile went down under De Ligt’s challenge at the start of the second half.

But the Dutch defender appeared to make contact with the ball and normal order was quickly restored as Lazio hopes faded once and for all.

Provedel pushed out Sane’s shot and England captain Kane adjusted his feet sharply to plunder the rebound for his 33rd goal in as many Bayern games.

Muller hit a post as Bayern sought to add extra gloss, but their passage into the last eight had been confirmed long before the final whistle.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has defended “p****d off” Thomas Muller’s right to deliver a withering assessment of his team after their Bundesliga title hopes suffered a major setback.

Bayern, who have won the league for the last 11 seasons, were beaten 3-0 at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday as the hosts opened up a five-point lead at the top of the table, prompting 34-year-old Germany international Muller to reveal he was “p****d off” at their lack of “energy and freedom” in an explosive post-match interview.

However, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League last-16 clash with Lazio, Tuchel said: “I think he pretty much hit the nail on the head – and if anybody is allowed to issue a statement like that, it is Thomas.”

Tuchel, who admitted his players are currently struggling to transfer their quality in training into games, added: “Thomas is allowed to say this to the microphones because he’s also going to address it internally.

“And it’s important that the team internally talks about it because when we wake up tomorrow and look out of the window and see Rome, you know it’s a different competition and a new day.

“Even though Bayern Munich loses, the sun will rise again, even though you won’t believe it. We will allow ourselves to really be happy and to try to win. That’s part of the game.”

Tuchel finds himself under pressure heading into the game, but is adamant he will not allow it to distract him.

He said: “No, I don’t feel any increasing pressure. Pressure as such is a privilege, it’s a sporting pressure. I’ve never felt it differently and it hasn’t changed anything.

“It’s important to stay self-confident, to stay self-critical.

“The stronger the noise is around the game and the stronger the pressure gets, it’s more important to stay calm. Nothing will change.”

Lazio will hope to inflict further misery on the 2020 winners, and striker Ciro Immobile is relishing the chance to go head-to-head with Bayern’s 28-goal England striker Harry Kane.

Italy international Immobile told a press conference: “Numbers are important for a striker.

“Being able to compare myself with top-level players like Harry Kane is a big motivation for me. It allows me to understand the level I have reached in my career.

“But tomorrow it’s not a direct match with Kane that matters but the match between Lazio and Bayern.”

The Serie A side returned to form on on Saturday when they won 3-1 at Cagliari, in the process ending a run of three games without a victory, but they remain in eighth place in the table and a full 23 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan.

However, head coach Maurizio Sarri said: “We must not forget that we play to have fun. We need to rediscover the sense of fun on the pitch despite all the responsibilities we have to assume.

“If the child who loved playing football dies, the man also has less fun.”

What the papers say

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has been linked with a move to Manchester United. According to The Sun – which cites German outlet Bild – the Red Devils are in the market to exploit the veteran Germany international’s lack of playing time since the arrival of Harry Kane, with a 2024 bid.

United are also reportedly interested in Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo. Metro, via Sky Germany, says Todibo is on the Old Trafford club’s radar for a January move, but they may need to compete with Tottenham for his services.

And The Sun, via ESPN and Corriere Dello Sport, reports Red Devils duo Jadon Sancho and Donny Van De Beek could both be sold to Juventus for as little as £26million.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Mason Greenwood: The Manchester United forward, who is currently on loan at Getafe, may yet play again at Old Trafford, according to Metro.

Matias Soule: Newcastle are leading a host of Premier League clubs in pursuit of the Juventus forward, reports Gazetta dello Sport.