Manuel Neuer comments on Germany’s goalkeeping conundrum | OneFootball

Prior to the start of Euro 2024, there was a significant question mark surrounding Germany’s goalkeeping situation. Having made a costly mistake for Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, as well as another error against Greece for Germany, many suggested that Julian Nagelsmann should drop Manuel Neuer.

However, the former Bayern head coach has always insisted that Neuer will be his number one for the European Championships. Despite Marc-André ter Stegen’s consistent form for club and country, the 32-year-old has remained second in command.

How has this affected Manuel Neuer?

This has failed to stop questions being raised surrounding Neuer by the media and fans alike. Nevertheless, speaking ahead of Germany’s clash with Hungary on Wednesday, Neuer commented on the situation:

“I looked at it from the outside; I didn’t read anything. I went into the analysis with those responsible. We assessed the images as they were. The trust between the coaching team and me is very high.”

Against Scotland, Neuer was fairly untested while being powerless to prevent Antonio Rüdiger’s unfortunate own goal. This will, therefore, undeniably see the 38-year-old remain in goal for the fixture with Hungary, whom Neuer expects to be a tricky opponent.

“This is a very unpleasant team that tries to be aggressive in the tackles. Hungary will be a completely different proposition.”

Regardless, with how Germany approached the opening game against Scotland, it is clear that they do not fear anyone. As well as this, due to the environment Nagelsmann has installed, Neuer believes that this Germany side has all the qualities to be successful:

“We started well against Portugal in 2014, but we weren’t completely dominant. Against Scotland, we were dominant from the start. But on the pitch, everyone was annoyed about the own goal. That’s a good sign. We’re grounded.”

GGFN: Will Shopland