Competition for goalkeeping is tough in Germany. Manuel Neuer knows this well since he is not sure of finding his place as N.1 in the goals of the Mannschaft after his injury, facing competition from Marc-André ter Stegen, explained German coach Hansi Flick on Monday at the bi-weekly kicker.
“I wish, for me as for all of Germany of football, that Manuel returns, as we all know him. I wish him, ”slipped Hansi Flick in an interview with Kicker. “Regarding the selection, we must also say that Marc-André ter Stegen is transcendent with Barcelona, with us too he has done good things,” added Flick, thus leaving a big question mark on a return like N.1 de Neuer in the Mannschaft.
The 37-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper seriously injured his right knee (lower part fracture) during a ski outing in early December. Initially, the German captain hoped to return 100% for the start of Bayern’s summer preparation in mid-July, but he trained separately for the recovery camp in Tegernesee, and did not take going on a tour of Asia.
The German selection is mired in a deep crisis after its elimination in the first round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Host country of Euro-2024, Germany is automatically qualified and must go through a long period of 15 months of friendly matches. The March and June meetings turned into a debacle: a single victory against modest Peru (2-0), a last-minute draw against Ukraine (3-3) and three defeats against Belgium (3-2) and Colombia (2-0), and Poland (1-0). A sequence which placed the coach under the fire of criticism, he who was confirmed in his functions until Euro-2024, after the fiasco of the World Cup in Qatar. “As the host country (of the Euros), we also cannot say: We want to get out of the group stage. We must redevelop the obvious. I no longer want to lose matches. It pisses me off. I want to win,” he said.
