Bayern Munich enjoyed a good run of form before the international break, convincingly winning the last five games. Die Roten needed to go on a good run after enduring a devastating 4-1 defeat against FC Barcelona in the Champions League at the start of October.
The Bavarian club has kept five clean sheets in a row after the defeat against Barcelona. Manuel Neuer was under heavy scrutiny for his poor performances against Barcelona and Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of October. The 38-year-old goalkeeper showed indecision in goal, which led to a couple of easy goals for the opposition.
Neuer has dismissed suggestions about being out of form, but there is no doubt age will catch up with him. The veteran goalkeeper is firmly focusing on Bayern after retiring from international football earlier this season.
The upcoming run of games will shed light on Neuer’s statement about being in good form as Bayern face PSG, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen in different competitions. While talking to SportBild, former Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has urged Neuer to make a decision on his retirement timeline at the club level to have clarity.
"After you retire from the national team, you fall into a hole and ask yourself: What's the goal now, what can I still achieve? I am therefore not surprised that Manuel is not showing the kind of performance in every game this season we are used to from him. He's still able to display his world class level. But to do that consistently is always a big challenge. He has to define a clear goal for himself."Oliver Kahn on Manuel Neuer
Bayern taking time to decide on Neuer’s future
Bayern have publicly supported Neuer after he was criticized for his performances against FC Barcelona and Eintracht Frankfurt. He remains the club’s first-choice goalkeeper and will continue to play regularly this season under Vincent Kompany.
Die Roten are also monitoring the transfer market for long-term goalkeeping options. However, Alexander Nubel is the favourite to replace Neuer in the long run. The former Schalke goalkeeper has delivered impressive performances for VfB Stuttgart in the last 12 months.
Nubel signed a new long-term deal with Bayern in April and extended his loan spell at Stuttgart by two seasons. Kahn has backed Nubel to succeed Neuer at Bayern. The Bavarian club reportedly has a break clause in the loan deal with Stuttgart.
Bayern will decide on Neuer’s future during the second half of the season. The German goalkeeper’s contract expires at the end of the season.
There is no doubt about Neuer’s qualities on the ball. He still brings a lot of calmness to the team when they are playing out from the back. However, the shot-stopping ability is the primary skill of the goalkeeper. Neuer will go through a decline in this aspect since he is in the twilight of his career. Bayern will support him until the end, but they will simultaneously start planning for the future. Neuer will decide on his future at Bayern sooner rather than later, but he currently needs a string of good performances to shut down the outside noise.