DFB.de regularly looks at a Germany international who is likely to have an interesting matchday. Today: Manuel Neuer, whose Bayern München side lost 4-1 to VfL Wolfsburg on matchday 18.
Recently Manuel Neuer has branched out. At the winter training camp in Qatar he indulged in a spot of handball with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller, all of whom had been inspired by the performances of the Germany team at the World Championship. Despite appearing more relaxed between the posts than he does on a football pitch, Neuer still kept out his teammates’ efforts.
Handball goalkeeper? Too many goals!
The presumption that Neuer would also make a good handball goalkeeper is not necessarily true. Of course, he has the reflexes and physical capabilities, and the fact that his father, Peter, played is also a bonus. There’s further evidence that it could work: In Madam Tussauds in Berlin, Neuer’s waxwork guards a handball goal.
But, there’s a catch. The 28-year-old doesn’t fancy going between the sticks: For psychological reasons. Handball goalkeepers concede an average of 26 goals per game. Those who know Germany’s number one know just how much he hates conceding just one goal, so a higher amount is unthinkable for him.
"I’m can’t stand conceding goals"
Thankfully, Neuer plays football. He lives by the mantra that less goals means less anger. His Bayern München side and the Germany national team feature plenty of strong defenders and their co-operation means that the number of goals conceded by Neuer is not too high. “I can’t stand conceding goals. They are all annoying. The worst ones are obviously those that decide games. If we’re winning 4-0 and I concede, I’m angry, but it’s not the same anger that a last minute winner brings.”
Conceding as many goals in one game as in the whole first half of the season
DFB.de regularly looks at a Germany international who is likely to have an interesting matchday. Today: Manuel Neuer, whose Bayern München side lost 4-1 to VfL Wolfsburg on matchday 18.
Recently Manuel Neuer has branched out. At the winter training camp in Qatar he indulged in a spot of handball with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller, all of whom had been inspired by the performances of the Germany team at the World Championship. Despite appearing more relaxed between the posts than he does on a football pitch, Neuer still kept out his teammates’ efforts.
Handball goalkeeper? Too many goals!
The presumption that Neuer would also make a good handball goalkeeper is not necessarily true. Of course, he has the reflexes and physical capabilities, and the fact that his father, Peter, played is also a bonus. There’s further evidence that it could work: In Madam Tussauds in Berlin, Neuer’s waxwork guards a handball goal.
But, there’s a catch. The 28-year-old doesn’t fancy going between the sticks: For psychological reasons. Handball goalkeepers concede an average of 26 goals per game. Those who know Germany’s number one know just how much he hates conceding just one goal, so a higher amount is unthinkable for him.
"I’m can’t stand conceding goals"
Thankfully, Neuer plays football. He lives by the mantra that less goals means less anger. His Bayern München side and the Germany national team feature plenty of strong defenders and their co-operation means that the number of goals conceded by Neuer is not too high. “I can’t stand conceding goals. They are all annoying. The worst ones are obviously those that decide games. If we’re winning 4-0 and I concede, I’m angry, but it’s not the same anger that a last minute winner brings.”
Conceding as many goals in one game as in the whole first half of the season
In light of this, the third and fourth goals would have been the worst for Neuer during the Wolfsburg match. After Kevin de Bruyne took it to 3-0 and made the game seem all but over, the renewed hope at 3-1, thanks to a goal from Juan Bernat, was then crushed by de Bruyne’s second. With the 4-1 defeat at Wolfsburg, Neuer conceded as many goals within 70 minutes as he had done over 1530 minutes in the entire first half of the season.
He was nevertheless capable of providing a level-headed analysis and said “We need to prevent counter attacks. We know that up front we are quick and have good players but we need to make sure that we mark and track back. It was often the case that a player was left alone to run at me."
Situations like this are obviously challenging for Neuer. Four times he was helpless; a feeling he has not had to suffer in such frequency since 30th April 2011 when, interestingly, he was playing for Schalke 04 against Bayern Munich. In 2015 what matters to the goalkeeper is that the defeat against Wolfsburg is put to bed as quickly as possible. The fixture list means that the opportunity arises sharpish with Bayern’s next game on Tuesday. “A midweek game is just what we need right now,” explained Neuer. “It would be bad if we were having to wait eight days for the next match.”
Bayern against Schalke: Special duel, high emotions
When talking about Tuesday, the goalkeeper missed out a crucial fact: The opponents are Schalke 04. Neuer has never denied that this fixture triggers specific emotions for him. However, the goalkeeper is especially good at controlling his emotions and no longer considers this pairing so special. Bayern and Schalke, Neuer and Schalke – the pairing is becoming much less often promoted as a duel with his past, owing to the fact that Neuer has already played against Schalke all too often – seven times to be precise. Even the statistics, six wins and a draw with only two goals conceded, suggest that Neuer can begin to forget the significance of the fixture.
Neuer’s idea for the game on Tuesday is quite austere. He is not playing against Schalke, rather for three points and to get the team back on track with eight points separating them from second placed Wolfsburg. Following the defeat against Wolfsburg, only the biggest pessimists see the championship title quest as seriously threatened. Neuer has no doubts but is aware of the challengers. As Neuer sees it, the 4-1 loss to Wolfsburg was a slip which will only become a drama if they don’t react positively. Neuer’s choice is once again strange, this time verbally and with a reference to motorsport: “We need to get back on track.”
