Un an exceptionally cloudy sky, Manuel Neuer completed one last intensive goalkeeping training in the Algarve. However, it was not yet ingenious shots from world footballer Lionel Messi after which the captain of FC Bayern dived on the training ground in Lagos on Wednesday, only those of Toni Tapalovic. After all: The Munich goalkeeping coach shoots with the left like the Argentine, so the emergency could be rehearsed.
A new one in top form should be necessary for Bayern’s crash entry into the Champions League final tournament this Friday (9 p.m. FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and Sky) in Lisbon. In the Estádio da Luz, Neuer not only has a real duel with Messi, but also a duel with Marc-André ter Stegen, the goalkeeping rival from the national team.
The quarter-finals between Bayern and Barcelona also mean Neuer Kontra ter Stegen, Germany’s long-term number 1 against the eternal Crown Prince, who is only the first line-up in the Catalans’ goal. The goalkeeper rivals on the pitch will be separated by almost 100 meters, but it is still a direct encounter with a lot of explosiveness. Who is in a better mood? Who will come next? Who will keep the chance to be crowned Champions League winner?
“Both are great,” said Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who only wanted to treat himself to a little tease in advance: “Manuel Neuer is world class, Ter Stegen on the way to world class.” Compared to the goalkeeper a good year ago this remark was harmless. Rummenigge knows what counts right now: “I hope that Manuel keeps zero. If he stops at zero, we have good prerequisites for reaching the semi-finals. That would be wonderful.”
On the way to Munich’s premier class triumph in 2013, Neuer had zero in the semi-finals against Barcelona in the two legs. Two years later, however, Ter Stegen celebrated in the only premier class duel of the goalkeepers. From the perspective of the former Gladbacher, it was 3: 0 in Barcelona and 2: 3 in Munich in the 2015 semifinals. Neuer was defeated twice by Messi, and Neymar, who now scores his goals for Paris Saint-Germain, scored three times.
“I think you can already say that they are the two best goalkeepers in the world,” said Bayern professional Leon Goretzka about the national team colleagues. The ranking there has been clear for years: national coach Joachim Löw did not even shake Neuer’s number 1 status after the serious foot injury. This ensures that Ter Stegen slowly loses patience while waiting. He made his first international match eight years ago, but even at the age of 28, Ter Stegen is still waiting for his debut at a World Cup or European Championship. Since the 2010 World Cup, Neuer has been Löw’s number 1 at every major tournament.
The national coach should watch carefully on Friday evening. The corona crisis has led to the EM being postponed to summer 2021. Then Neuer is 35 – but he does not want to vacate the DFB goal. The captain has just extended to 2023 at Bayern. Neuer also wants to use his tournament experience in the “Final 8 event”. “The knockout games are about the form of the day, I can say that from my experience in international tournaments with the national team,” said the 2014 World Champion: “It’s very important to know that every mistake can be punished . “This is especially true for every goalkeeping mistake.
Mistakes in big games are a rarity at Neuer and Ter Stegen. Both stand out more as guarantors of success for their teams. “You saw again in the past Bundesliga season how many important moments Manuel had and how many important balls he held,” said Bayern’s former goalkeeper titan Oliver Kahn about Neuer. This gives his people in front a good feeling on the pitch, as midfielder Goretzka reported: “It’s good to have Manuel in the back. The security that he exudes and the experience that he brings is good for every team in the world. “
The same applies to opponents ter Stegen, as Goretzka honestly admits. “Marc also developed very well in Barcelona, because he took the next steps and developed into a world-class goalkeeper.” Germany was “already very blessed with goalkeepers”.
In the previous premier class season, which is now coming to a head due to Corona in tournament format, both held top. Neuer was only overcome six times in the eight Bayern victories, and he only made a mistake in the 4-1 win against Chelsea recently. Ter Stegen conceded five goals in seven appearances. He was particularly good at the 0-0 draw in Dortmund, when he even parried a penalty from BVB star Marco Reus. The Spanish media praised Ter Stegen as “Lionel Messi with gloves” in the past. A Barça goalkeeper cannot achieve greater esteem.
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