Manuel Neuer is the GOAT. The “greatest of all time,” as the Americans say. The “Greatest Goalkeeper of All Time”. At 39, he has aged sensationally for a professional footballer.
But his time is running out. She doesn’t stop at legends either. That’s sad. For him, for FC Bayern, for everyone who cheered him on for two decades. And yet Bayern and Manuel Neuer have to face the facts.
Not because of his two mistakes against Arsenal. They are given. His successor will not be immune to misfortunes, whoever it is. But Neuer will make no fewer mistakes at 40 or 41 than he does now. His pace slows. When the third goal was conceded in London, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli was simply a fraction of a second quicker on the ball than Neuer, who was rushing out of his goal. Martinelli is 16 years younger. Jumping after crosses and diving after low shots won’t be any easier for Neuer in the future. That’s the way things go. At some point he will no longer be an experienced support for Bayern at the top level, but rather an aging security risk.
It is important to prepare for this moment. Before that happens, Bayern need to know who will replace Manuel Neuer. Apparently it should be the 22-year-old, highly talented Jonas Urbig. Only: The substitute bench is not a good place to grow to Neuer’s size. Urbig has to gain experience, feel pressure, learn from mistakes. This is the only way he can usher in the post-Neuer era and become Bayern’s next world-class goalkeeper – and that must be the aim.
The Bayern bosses also need time to observe him. To follow your learning curve. Getting to know your resilience. To then decide: Yes, Jonas Urbig has what it takes to become the new new guy. If he fails, and that is not out of the question, they need a plan B. That too has to be formulated first.
That’s why it’s time for Urbig to play. In the Bayern goal. From now on. Not every game, but a lot more often. For example, he could mature as Bayern’s Bundesliga goalkeeper in the second half of the season, while Manuel Neuer spares him the pressure to perform on the big football stage in the Champions League. Because the clock is ticking, and otherwise everyone involved will run out of time.