Jamal Musiala is under particular scrutiny ahead of the German national team’s World Cup opener. The Bayern star is searching for his best form and has been facing critical questions for weeks. For Christoph Kramer, that is precisely the problem. The 2014 World Cup champion is calling for more trust and patience in dealing with the attacking player.
When Germany kicks off the World Cup against Curaçao on Sunday, many eyes will be on Jamal Musiala. The 23-year-old is considered one of the most important game-changers on Julian Nagelsmann’s team, but has not yet consistently returned to his highest level following his long injury layoff.
While Musiala has repeatedly demonstrated his exceptional skills in recent weeks, the truly standout moments have yet to materialize. Even in the two friendly matches against Finland and the U.S., the Bayern Munich pro showed effort but did not appear as dominant as he was before his injury.
Kramer Criticizes Public Debate
For ZDF expert Christoph Kramer, one aspect is being overlooked.
The former national team player is critical of the constant discussions about Musiala’s form and believes they are doing the player more harm than good. “If you’re asked over and over again after every game, ‘Hey, what’s actually going on with you?’ That’s never helpful,” Kramer explained during World Cup coverage.
In his view, Musiala is constantly confronted with expectations that create additional pressure.
Kramer finds the repetitive questions about Musiala’s performance level particularly problematic. “He doesn’t like hearing questions like, ‘How are things actually going for you?’ or ‘How much of your potential are you using?’” the former pro emphasized.
For Kramer, the reason is obvious: such questions automatically convey the message that Musiala isn’t back to his old self yet. “Because that implies: ‘You’re not really at 100 percent yet,’ and that’s not good,” Kramer explained.
Trust instead of doubt
Instead of continuing the discussion, Kramer calls for a different approach toward the Bayern star. “We should trust him,” said the 34-year-old.
In his opinion, Musiala could already repay that trust against Curaçao. Especially against the underdog, Germany is likely to have a lot of possession, which could put the attacking player in promising situations more often.
At FC Bayern, too, it has been evident in recent weeks that Musiala is fighting his way back step by step. Goals, assists, and strong individual plays were there, yet that final touch of confidence was often still missing.
That is precisely why the World Cup could be a turning point.
An early goal or a strong performance to kick off the tournament could give the national team player an extra boost of confidence and quickly silence the discussions about his form.
Regardless of how the World Cup unfolds, the assessment of many officials remains unchanged: Musiala still needs time to recover after his long injury.
Both the DFB and FC Bayern are convinced that the attacking star will return to his former strength. The question is less whether that will happen, and more when.
Christoph Kramer has a clear opinion on this: less doubt and more trust could be the best way forward.