Manuel Neuer wants Bayern Munich players to improve quickly
Manuel Neuer has urged Bayern Munich players to quickly improve their performances after their narrow victory over VfL Bochum in DFB Pokal.
Bayern Munich has endured a strange past few weeks. The Bundesliga champions have struggled to stamp their authority in games, which has eventually lead to poor results. This strange pattern in Die Roten’s performances continued on Tuesday.
The Bavarians had to work hard to qualify for the next round of the DFB Pokal. VfL Bochum scored the opening goal, courtesy of an own goal from Alphonso Davies. The visitors were on the cusp of being knocked out of the competition before mounting a comeback in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Thomas Muller came off the bench to help Die Roten clinch this victory. Bayern managed to make it three wins in a row across all competitions, but neither of these victories has been convincing. They need a dominating performance soon to find their mojo back and get things back on track.
Manuel Neuer expressed his disappointment after the narrow victory over Bochum. Speaking to Sport1 after the game, Neuer admitted that the players need to step up quickly and improve their performances as soon as possible. He also stressed on the fact that the complete team needs to improve instead of pointing blame on a single individual.
"“In the first half it was really sad and disappointing how we performed and played, I do not know why it is, whether you are not there from the head or you just do not want to qualify for next round. At least that’s what it looked like.”“It’s important that everyone starts with themselves, we do not need to talk about individual players or the game system or the coach, we do not need to look for excuses.”"
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Bayern’s recent poor performances have once again brought Niko Kovac under the spotlight. There has been growing speculation surrounding Kovac’s future at the club in the past couple of weeks. The Croatian manager remains defiant that his team is on track to achieve the necessary targets of this season.
Die Roten’s key problem has been in both boxes. The defense doesn’t concede a lot of chances, but individual mistakes are costing the team. At the other end of the pitch, chances are being created, but apart from Robert Lewandowski, nobody has been clinical.
These poor results have not surprisingly coincided with injuries to key players of the squad. Die Roten lost Lucas Hernandez and Niklas Sule to serious injuries in the last ten days. These injuries have forced Niko Kovac to shuffle the back four. The new back four needs time to settle down and form the right co-ordination amongst the defenders.
Next. Leroy Sane remains keen on joining Bayern Munich. dark
Bayern Munich has the chance to get things right quickly as they travel away to Frankfurt on Saturday. The game against Kovac’s former team will be tricky, but a commanding performance will boost the confidence of the players and help them in building some sort of momentum.