Thursday, March 4th, 2021
First away from Munich quickly
Nübel’s bad plan does not work
By Till Erdenberger
–
Before the season begins, Alexander Nübel comes to Bayern with the clear goal of replacing goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as quickly as possible. Or at least collect bets quickly. Neither is in sight, which is why the Nübel warehouse is already looking to change.
No, for Alexander Nübel things are still not going well at Bayern: Two free appearances in the DFB Cup and in the Champions League represent the goalkeeper for the current season in the statistics, most recently due to an injury he was no longer deputy to world goalkeeper Manuel New. The 24-year-old can now call himself a Supercup winner (national and international), but in his absence FC Bayern was also club world champion. More medals than games. That was certainly not the goal when Nübel came to Bayern from FC Schalke before the season to a great din. Now they obviously want to correct the course quickly, reports the Nübel camp.
Because Nübels advisor finds “this situation unsatisfactory. You have to think about a loan in the summer when Alex no longer comes to play,” said Stefan Backs to the “kicker”. Now, these days it is actually not a bad idea to break away from FC Schalke as quickly as possible if the opportunity arises. But the matter of the move to FC Bayern was not so clever for the undoubtedly talented, ambitious Nübel, who has proven his potential for a good six months in the Schalke relegation vortex. And actually you could have guessed it.
“Overall, Alex feels very comfortable at Bayern,” Backs reported to the Munich “Abendzeitung” in January, but “there is, of course, one small drawback: he will have to play more games at some point.” The agent didn’t want to make a big problem out of it, because “Alex is a relaxed guy, his contract in Munich runs until 2025. We worked out several scenarios with Bayern about how the next few years could go. Bavaria is a long-term project for Alex.”
Neuer thought the move was a stupid idea
One of the scenarios envisaged that the new guy behind Neuer would get ten missions for free in his first season in Munich. There are two so far. In FC Bayern’s surprisingly short cup season, which ended after the second round, Nübel will have 90 minutes against the fourth division club 1. FC Düren. In the Champions League and in the championship that has become tight again, Hansi Flick will be careful not to send the best possible team onto the field in the important games. The first scenario is already off the table.
And Manuel Neuer, he made it clear early on, has absolutely no desire to take it easy and do without anyway. “Which coach would list players who are not the best?” He asked and said clearly: “I believe that I am the best, even if I am no longer 17.” And even before that, when his own contract had not yet been extended beyond the end of the current season, Neuer made it clear: “I’m not an extra, I’m a protagonist and always want to play.”
Nübels decision to move with sight from the Schalke goal to Bayern-Bank, which he made clear in January 2020 in January, is a very stupid idea for him: “I cannot empathize with him,” said Neuer at the time. “But I was a player who always wanted to play, always to be number one. For me as Manuel Neuer at the time, I always wanted to play.”
Neuer is 34 years old, the contract of the five-time world goalkeeper was extended to 2023 a few weeks after the deal with Nübel. In June 2023, when the alpha professional’s working paper expires, he will be 37. There are no indications that Neuer will no longer embody world class, that the world champion and all-round winner will no longer be able to achieve it. And there is nothing to indicate that Neuer is gradually losing anything of his will to win, his ambition. And after twelve years at FC Bayern, nothing more can come of what is probably the best, in any case most successful German goalkeeper in history, with a move it can only worsen.
Nübel has to go
He wants to be in goal for as long as I can, “when I feel good, can show my performance, I enjoy playing football, I am needed and have the feeling that it is important that I am on the field and that the team needs me . ” No, Neuer is unlikely to open the door for his designated successor. If things go well for Nübel, there will be a serious chance of becoming a regular goalkeeper at Bayern from summer 2023. If the newcomer decides to continue, it will be dark. It currently seems unimaginable that there will then be an open duel for the place between the posts at the record champions.
And it is out of the question that Neuer will do a career winter at the bank. The memory of the circus that broke out when Barcelona’s world-class goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen cautiously stated that he would also like to play more often in the national team is too fresh. Neuer clearly disguised the strong challenger at the time: “I don’t know whether that will help and that it will help us. I’m a team player. We goalkeepers have to stick together too.” He was “of course clear that Ter Stegen is a great goalkeeper and that he also wants to play. And I always said that he always showed a performance.” But: “I also do very well.”
Nübel would like to show good performances again. In competition, not in training. At FC Bayern – if Neuer stays healthy – he would not go beyond a few athletic friendships in the years to come. The escape remains to ease the frustration. According to information from the “kicker”, AS Monaco could offer a way out of the misery, at least in the short term. There Niko Kovac is currently working successfully on a Europa League starting place for the coming season, maybe even more will come of it. The principality club is said to be very interested in a loan. That wasn’t the plan when Nübel signed in Munich. Borrowing would not be a way out, at best a detour.
– .
