The journalist and England expert Raphael Honigstein is surprised at the public assessment of his much-discussed interview with Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer, who is currently injured.
He had expected “that this would cause an echo,” said Honigstein in the “Fever Pit’ch” podcast, referring to his conversation with Neuer, which he did for the “The Athletic” portal together with Philipp Selldorf from the “Süddeutsche Newspaper” had led. However, he was surprised that it was “considered a major attack against Bayern and those responsible,” added Honigstein. “I didn’t get that impression during the interview.”
In his opinion, Neuer’s intention was different: “Something happened here, I don’t agree with it, of course we talked about it internally, but that’s not enough here, I want to say it again here because I’m not feeling well at the moment and because I don’t think it’s good.”
In the conversation, Neuer expressed, among other things, his displeasure at the separation from goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic, one of his closest confidants and best friends. It was “an attempt” to “defend his buddy,” said Honigstein.
FC Bayern ended working with Tapalovic at the end of January due to differences with head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Neuer sees the last few weeks, from the disappointing preliminary round at the World Cup, to his broken leg on a private ski tour to the dismissal of Tapalovic, as a “chain of very unfortunate circumstances,” explained Honigstein. “Without this World Cup, with all its problems on and off the field, he doesn’t come home in that mood where he feels like he’s actually needing to self-medicate with some sort of action he doesn’t otherwise do.”
FC Bayern: “Impulse” for the interview came from Manuel Neuer
“Without the broken leg, Toni Tapalovic would still be goalkeeping coach at Bayern Munich – and I think many see it that way,” said the reporter.
Honigstein also commented on how the controversial interview with Neuer came about. “Of course, I can’t really go into detail. There’s something like journalistic confidentiality in these things. But I think everyone who knows a bit about it knows that something like that doesn’t happen when you talk to Manuel Neuer at the Säbener Strasse,” says the journalist.
The “impulse” for the conversation had “already come from the players,” said Honigstein, “and of course you’re happy when you get this signal.”