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Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer recently made a serious mistake at FC Bayern Munich. Does national coach Julian Nagelsmann also have to worry?
Munich – Manuel Neuer will play his eighth (!) tournament as goalkeeper for the German national team this summer. National coach Julian Nagelsmann decided early on that he would be number 1 between the posts at the European Championships in his own country. However, the FC Bayern Munich goalkeeper is currently not in a flow. After a world-class performance, Neuer made a mistake in the semi-final against Real Madrid, giving the hosts the opportunity to make a big change.
Neuer recently made mistakes against Real Madrid and Hoffenheim
On matchday 34, FC Bayern led 2-0 at TSG Hoffenheim early on. Neuer brought the Kraichgauers back into the game with a serious mistake in the build-up to the game, and the last goal they conceded was also his fault. The Munich goalkeeper could no longer maintain his concentration. Does the advanced age of a footballer in connection with the long injury break still make itself felt in the final spurt? This question arises about the unusual errors.
Manuel Neuer is not going through an easy phase. © Manuel Neuer
And yet this view falls short. Because Neuer was not the usual support at the 2022 Winter World Cup in Qatar. In the first group game against Japan, the 38-year-old made a serious mistake, he opened the so-called short corner and Takuma Asano scored to make it 2-1 for Japan. ARDExpert Almuth Schult said at the time: “You also have to talk about Neuer. Given his class, I would have liked him to keep it up.” In the last group game against Costa Rica, he also missed before the interim 1:2 (4:2 in the end) at a moment when the team needed every goal.
That’s why Nagelsmann continues to rely on Neuer
Neuer has not been part of the German national team since December 1, 2022. And yet there was no doubt in Nagelsmann’s decision to take him with him – even though he also missed the international matches in France (2-0) and against the Netherlands (2-1) in March. The national coach knows how important the experience factor is in a tournament. Neuer can also organize a defense well. However, in contrast to deputy Marc-André ter Stegen, he has not yet played with the established defender duo Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah. There may be a lack of coordination here and there. Nevertheless, Neuer is a good organizer who, when in top form, not only has the penalty area under control, but the entire half.
Hardly anyone doubts that the goalkeeper from Gelsenkirchen is still very good. This was shown by the many great saves in the Champions League semi-finals. And yet it’s the little things that make a difference in games at this level. There is therefore a residual risk that Neuer will make a mistake. But the challengers can’t get past him (yet). Alexander Nübel had his first consistently strong season in Germany at VfB Stuttgart. Oliver Baumann (TSG Hoffenheim) is a loyal placeholder. And ter Stegen? He had an overall disappointing season in Barcelona and was also prone to injuries. Nagelsmann’s decision remains understandable, but Neuer will have to recover and improve.
2024-05-21 03:06:00
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