The German press questions his continuity as a starter, after linking three major tournaments falling at the first exchange
Germany links three major tournaments far from the best positions
Manuel Neuer is an institution in German football. World champion in 2014, the Bayern goalkeeper became the goalkeeper with the most appearances in World Cup history against Costa Rica, with 19 appearances.
But it was not a happy night for him: Germany was eliminated from the tournament, for the second consecutive time in the group stage, after also failing in Russia 2018, and rumors of a change of cycle flew over the goodbye of the German team.
His personal performance wasn’t too good either: accustomed to having good games with his team, Neuer missed both goals for Costa Rica, although Germany ended up winning their game. It was a useless victory for the Teutonic team, eliminated in the first phase.
With Neuer as goalkeeper and captain, Germany links three major tournaments far from the best positions: did not go beyond the group stage in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, and was eliminated in the round of 16 of the last European Championship.
While players of the stature of Thomas Muller stepped aside, announcing that they will no longer play for the national team, Neuer seems willing to extend his international career, at 36 years old.
Together with Gotze, Neuer remains the only 2014 world champion in the German team (Matthias Ginter, a Freiburg player, who did not have a minute in 2014 and has not played in Qatar 2022, is also still on the team).
Is he still untouchable?
The German press, on the other hand, begins to question his continuity in the selection. ‘Is Neuer still untouchable?’, the newspaper ‘Bild’ asks this Friday. Since his national team debut in 2019, Neuer has made 117 appearances for Germany.
‘Bild’ also points out that in the match against Costa Rica, Neuer made a couple of worthwhile saves, but missed the goals. “More than helping, it was a risk for the team,” laments the most popular newspaper in Germany, which also underlines the debate that surrounded the goalkeeper before the tournament, as Neuer was carrying a nagging left shoulder injury.
In fact, Neuer missed several Bayern games, theoretically to get ready for the World Cup.
Lost opportunity
His usual substitute in the national team, Marc André Ter Stegen, again lost another opportunity to play a great tournament with his team: he did not have any minutes in Russia 2018 either, and he was not even called up to the last Euro Cup due to injury.
Hansi Flick, the German coach, promised after the elimination of his team to analyze “exhaustively” all the positions of the German team to renew the team and return it to the first line of world football. Will Ter Stegen’s time have arrived?