Flick hails ‘incredibly important’ Muller after naming him captain
Thomas Muller will be in charge in Manuel Neuer’s absence as the captain of Germany in their clash against Armenia, with the manager hailing the player.
Hansi Flick
has praised
Germany’s
Thomas Muller
as he handed him the captain’s armband for the World Cup qualifier battle against Armenia on Sunday.
The Bayern Munich attacker is the squad’s highest-capped player, going past Jurgen Klinsmann as Germany’s sixth-most capped player with his 109th game coming against Liechtenstein, meeting the back of the net twice in the 9-0 win.
Muller has been given the captain’s armband multiple times before but this is the first time he earns it under the reign of Hansi Flick, who believes the player has earned the honour both on and off the field.
"
Thomas isn't someone to push himself into the spotlight; he prefers to support the team and fire the lads up,"
Flick said ahead of the game against Armenia.
"He is also incredibly important off the pitch because he pushes the group again and again.
"He's a really important player for us, and he'll captain the side against Armenia. I'm happy to have him as a player because he's very, very valuable."
Manuel Neuer
is out of action, missing out alongside Marco Reus, injured pair Leon Goretzka and Julian Draxler and the suspended Antonio Rudiger.
Therefore, Muller is handed the opportunity to captain the team, whereas Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be the goalkeeper as Germany get ready for their last World Cup qualifier clash, having won eight out of nine matches. They lead Group J with nine points in their advantage.
"
Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kai Havertz will both start the match,
" Flick continued.
"We have already shown in the last few games what quality and mentality the team has.
"Armenia are very strong on the counter-attack, so we'll need to be very alert in defence. Our aim is to end this year with a win, of course."
Christian Gunter is pleased with the chance to have a part in claiming a place in the final World Cup squad next year.
"
For me, it's about putting in a good performance for the team,"
Gunter said.
"I'm part of a real competition for places and I want to give Hansi a tough decision when he comes to name his national team squad."
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