Rodrigo Muniz interview: ‘The perfect centre-back would be a mix of Maguire and Van Dijk'
As The Athletic plays back Rodrigo Muniz's left-footed finish against Chelsea, the 24-year-old turns away for a moment and reaches for his phone.
Is he replying to a message? Scrolling social media? Surely he's not bored by his 96th-minute winner against Fulham's west London rivals?
'I think this angle is much better,' he says, revealing a video taken by his wife among the away fans in the Shed End of Stamford Bridge.
Limbs. Everywhere.
Muniz, 90+5'. pic.twitter.com/1LJGGnd8px
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) December 26, 2024
'My wife goes to all of the games. Carabao Cup, home and away, everything,' he says.
She has had good value, seeing her husband score at the Etihad, Anfield, Emirates Stadium, St James' Park and that dramatic goal at Stamford Bridge all in the same season — the first player to do so since Harry Kane in 2015-16.
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'I think with confidence, these things just happen normally,' he says. 'I think Rodrigo two years ago would have tried to score against Chelsea with a first-time shot and maybe missed it, but with a bit more conviction now, I managed to keep calm because I'm more prepared for these situations.'
There is warmth and friendliness to his demeanour, but as we get into the details of the clips — his goals, movement, hold-up play — he becomes focused. Muniz still wants to get better. While his journey to the Premier League is already marked by hard work behind the scenes, both he and Fulham manager Marco Silva demand more.
'I think I have turned into a good attacker, but there are lots of things I need to improve. Playing more, training well, this is going to turn me into a better player,' he says.
Muniz also works with video analysts outside of the club, and still talks regularly to former Atletico Madrid full-back and current Flamengo head coach Filipe Luis for advice. 'He was like a godfather to me; he helped me a lot, and we've remained good friends.'
The numbers are exceptional, but Muniz remains grounded and eager to keep advancing. From the subtleties of his box movement to his toughest opponents, this is how he has made the step up.
Muniz has struggled for consistent game-time this season at Fulham, amid minor injuries and strong competition at the club for the No 9 role, but his goalscoring rate of 0.6 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes since the start of last season places him in elite company.
Of players with over 2,000 minutes in that time, only Diogo Jota, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland have provided goals more regularly from their time on the pitch.
A healthy smattering of those efforts have come via headers (37 per cent) — hardly surprising in a Marco Silva side, with Fulham's 17.7 open-play crosses per 90 being more than any other Premier League club last season.
'I feel comfortable going for headers. Ever since I played for Flamengo in Brazil, I have been scoring them for a long time,' Muniz says.
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'One of the things that Marco Silva talks to me about crossing is that he likes the wingers or full-backs to lift their deliveries. It's an important part of my game and I think particularly at the back post, it's one of the strong points of my game.'
Heading can still be perceived as an agricultural part of the game, but to be executed correctly, such an action requires good timing, intelligent movement and a clear understanding of your team-mates' deliveries.
For example, against Brighton last season, Lewis Dunk is tracking Muniz's run as Harry Wilson cuts inside on to his stronger left foot. The movement is subtle, but the Brazilian takes a step to his left to create a yard of space to dart to his right. With Dunk flat-footed from the dummy run, a yard is all Muniz needed to attack the cross and head beyond Jason Steele.
'This is the kind of movement that Marco Silva demands from me a lot. Because when I'm looking to attack from the edge of the box I would usually drift to the back post. But here I sell the dummy and I've already attacked the front post,' Muniz reveals.
'Before this game, the guys who help me tactically spoke with me, and said when you get a chance to attack the centre-back, try to mix it up and attack the front post.'
One touch is often all Muniz needs to finish, with 72 per cent of his efforts coming from first-time shots since the start of last season. Among Premier League forwards, only Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood has a higher rate (75 per cent) in that period.
'I think it's something that I brought from Brazil,' Muniz says. 'It's something I did a lot. Improving this skill has helped me to score a lot of goals.'
Within those first-time finishes, Muniz has a particular penchant for nicking in ahead of a blindsided defender for a simple finish. Against Aston Villa in 2023-24, a lofted ball to Antonee Robinson sees Fulham's left-back chase the ball on the flank before delivering a first-time cross to the near post — with Muniz placing himself out of the peripheral view of centre-back Clement Lenglet.
With Lenglet and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez believing the situation is under control, Muniz darts in, seemingly from nowhere, to get ahead of both of them for yet another first-time finish.
For those seeking further examples, run the tape on Newcastle away and Liverpool away in 2024-25, or Tottenham at home and Bournemouth at home in 2023-24.
'I think it's something that comes naturally,' Muniz says. 'Marco says every week, 'Front post! Front post! Front post!'. When it's Jedi (Antonee Robinson), I know the ball is going to come in early and likely to the front post, so that makes it easier when we understand our team-mates.'
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Having these connections with his colleagues is crucial. Robinson's 15 open-play chances created for Muniz are more than any other team-mate since the start of last season. Different movements are required for different team-mates, and it is a part of the game that Muniz is keen to study — allowing him to employ the right movement at the right time.
'Building these relationships is very important,' Muniz says. 'In training, you start to understand all of this — above all, what is good for me is good for the crosser and therefore good for the team. Marco Silva spoke to me and said, 'I need you to have that connection with Emile, or Alex, because it is important for me'. The connection I have with Andreas (Pereira) is very good, but I need to build that with everyone.'
Muniz's exceptional goal against Sheffield United is a great example of that understanding of his team-mates. An acrobatic finish into the top corner is undoubtedly the focus but without the appreciation of Adama Traore's crossing preference, such an effort might not have come to fruition.
'When Adama has the ball here, he always tries to cross it the same, he rarely pulls it back,' Muniz reveals.
'Everyone is deeper, so I know if I drop into that space (towards the penalty spot), it will be better. I need strikers and wingers to give me the ball, so I need to understand each one.'
Attacking crosses is one thing, but Muniz is keen to outline his versatility as a modern-day forward — one who can run in behind, hold up the ball and link with others, as well as attack the box.
'In Brazil, the game is more open and running in behind is important; it's more of a mix. So the day I arrived in the Championship and it was all about getting the ball into the striker and under control — it was very different,' Muniz says.
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'I think I run in behind a bit less here, but when I first arrived here, there was Mitrovic, so this was the identity of Fulham being a team who could play beautiful, controlled football with a No 9 who can make things stick, and there wasn't much movement in behind.
'Then with the arrival of Raul (Jimenez) and me, we started to attack the space a bit more. I can control the ball and I can attack the space, so for me it's calm.'
That versatility is shown in Muniz's running numbers using data from SkillCorner, which outlines a player's off-ball run types as a share of his total runs made. While there is a decent share of cross receiver runs (runs towards goal to receive a possible cross — 44 per cent), many of the Brazilian's runs are in behind the defensive line (30 per cent) or ahead of the ball (16 per cent).
A good example of those runs in behind can be seen in Fulham's victory over Wigan Athletic in this year's FA Cup fourth round. With Muniz leading the attack against a high defensive line, note how he already begins his run before team-mate Pereira receives the ball (frame 1).
A whipped pass from Pereira lands perfectly at the feet of Muniz — who has broken through Wigan's defence — to volley past Sam Tickle first time.
'Andreas has improved my game a lot,' Muniz says. 'I have a really great understanding with him on the pitch and when he is on the ball, I know that he is going to try to find me, so I have to make a more disruptive move whenever he has the ball.'
'I can trap the ball really well with my back to goal but I can also attack the space in behind because I am quick, so Marco Silva asks me to drop short and receive to feet but also attack the space.'
Selfless runs are par for the course for any striker, with Muniz's profile being one that does not often go roaming to receive the ball, but rather stays between the width of the goalposts. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, only Haaland has had fewer touches per shot in the Premier League.
'The No 9 doesn't receive the ball a lot, so it's important to work hard without it to feel involved in the game,' Muniz says. 'When we do receive it and we manage to get it under control, flick it on, and give continuity to the play, you feel good in the game.'
Muniz's physical profile means that battling with centre-backs forms a large part of his diet on the pitch. Among forwards with 2,000-plus minutes since the start of the 2023-24 season, only Everton's Beto has contested more aerial duels than his 11.1 per 90.
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Only five forwards have suffered more fouls than Muniz's 2.3 per 90 in this period, which only serves to reinforce his tenacious style of play. Crucially, who has been his toughest opponent?
'(Harry) Maguire,' Muniz reveals without hesitation. 'Maguire and Van Dijk would be my top two — Van Dijk gives you a bit more space. The perfect centre-back would be a mix of Maguire and Van Dijk. It's very difficult to play against both of them. Both have so much quality, both in the physicality and the pace.'
As luck would have it, The Athletic shows Muniz a short clip of him battling with centre-backs just seconds later. The opponent? Maguire, throwing Muniz to the floor after a sharp pass played around the corner with his back to goal.
'He's always making contact, doesn't leave you in peace, it's constant. You have to be very focused.'
Just eight Premier League starts in 2024-25 will be a source of frustration for Muniz, but he does not lack ambition or belief that he is able to perform regularly at the highest level.
'I have a dream to play in the Champions League and above all to be called up for the national team,' Muniz reveals. 'I know that for this to happen, I have to play and keep on doing the work I've done. What depends on me, I'm going to do, and other things that I have no control over — I just have to wait.'
Carlo Ancelotti's arrival as the Brazil national team manager comes at a time when the Selecao are in desperate need of some refurbishment — a situation that Muniz could use to his advantage. Given his profile, does the Brazilian feel he has something different to offer his national team?
'I think it's going to depend on the coach. Some prefer this more controlled style, some like to attack the space. We have strikers who can hold the ball up really well — Pedro at Flamengo is a very good player. We also have Richarlison and Joao Pedro who can attack the space really well.
'I think I can do a bit of both and that I'm a different kind of No 9, but we'll see.'
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