04 July,2014 08:44 AM IST | | PA Sport
Germany striker slams critics after his team’s show over Algeria; says it was important to reach FIFA World Cup 2014 quarters where they meet rivals France today
Germany striker Thomas Mueller. Pic/Getty Images.
Rio de Janeiro: Thomas Mueller believes criticism of Germany's performance against Algeria is exaggerated, saying the main thing is they made it through to set up a World Cup quarter-final clash against France today.
Germany striker Thomas Mueller. Pic/Getty Images.
Germany needed extra-time to see off a strong Algerian side on Monday and had it not been for the performance of goalkeeper-turned-sweeper Manuel Neuer, they may well have already returned home.
Bit more credit
They are still in Brazil, though, and because of that, Mueller believes they deserve a bit more credit than they are receiving from the German media. He criticised the negative atmosphere back home after just one game in which not everything ran so smoothly.
"The way things have been interpreted and transmitted is wrong," he told reporters in Brazil. "We have won what was a tight game. Even if we had to go through extra-time to get it, we deserved to go through. "We know ourselves that we want to play differently to the way we played, and we take the constructive criticism on board, but we did run our socks off for 120 minutes."
Catch all the FIFA World Cup 2014 action here
Immediately after Monday's victory, Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker claimed Algeria had not been shown enough respect by the German media.
"Like Per said, we weren't up against a Mickey Mouse team," Mueller added, according to sport1.de.
Expectations
"That's the truth. He said what he felt and he was spot on. The criticism is caused by the great level of expectation. "I don't want to win the World Cup and have to say afterwards 'sorry that we only won by one goal'. Criticism is good, but without losing perspective."
Mueller nevertheless knows improvements will have to be forthcoming against France today if they are to avoid even heftier criticism over the weekend.
"Ideally, we will impose our game, like we have done so often before," Mueller said.
