Manuel Neuer in inspiring form to start the season
This season may very well be Manuel Neuer’s last as a professional footballer. If he and the club were to part ways next June, neither party could be faulted. In the last two seasons, there has been evidence of decline on the part of the sweeper keeper. Yet, the fact that he is still Bayern’s number one between the uprights bears testament to his greatness; even past his best, he still ranks amongst the best in the world.
On Saturday against Stuttgart, he looked very much at his best despite being 39 years old. Soon after Kane had given Bayern the lead, Neuer made two spectacular saves, just seconds apart. For the first save, he raced off his line to block the attacker who shot at goal from inside the box. In the same passage of play, he then got back on his line to block another shot from even closer range.
Whilst Jonas Urbig’s preparation to potentially replace Neuer as Bayern’s number one in goal at the conclusion of the current season could be negatively impacted by Neuer’s dominance between the uprights, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy from seeing the veteran keeper turn back the clock.