Neuer out to settle keeper debate against Spurs as he faces stiff competition from ter Stegen for Die Mannschaft’s No 1
Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer heads into today’s Champions League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane aiming for a display that settles the debate about whether he should remain Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The showdown in London will be key in deciding who will win Group B, with Bayern currently top after beating Red Star Belgrade 3-0 in their opener a fortnight ago and Spurs needing a home victory to get back on track after throwing away a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Olympiakos.
Neuer will want to use the high-profile clash to prove his form after a shaky display on Saturday, in which he was twice beaten — including once from long-range effort — at bottom club Paderborn.
Neuer could do little about the first goal, but was at fault when Paderborn defender Jamilu Collins scored from 30 metres out to make it 3-2 and give Bayern a nervy final 10 minutes before they eventually won and topped the Bundesliga for the first time this season.
That display came on the same day Ter Stegen launched Barca to a 2-0 win at Getafe with a sensational long-range pass for Luis Suarez’s opener after snuffing out an attack from the home side.
Ter Stegen had sparked a war of words between Germany’s top goalkeepers when he said it was a “tough blow” to remain on the bench after watching Neuer beaten four times in a heavy home defeat by the Netherlands in this month’s Euro 2020 qualifier.
The Barca keeper had been promised more games in 2019 by national coach Joachim Loew, but he has so far only had a 45-minute cameo against Serbia in March, and Neuer telling the 27-year-old his comments were unhelfpful to team spirit only led to a terse reply of “Manu doesn’t need to comment on my feelings”.
At 33, Neuer is entering the latter stage of his career and only a strong display at Spurs will silence the raging debate back home as to whether his rival should be promoted and end Neuer’s nine-year reign as Germany’s first-choice stopper.
With a high-profile friendly international looming at home to Argentina, Loew is under pressure to drop his captain who has kept nearly 300 clean sheets in just over 600 Bundesliga games and was named in FIFA’s World XI four years running up until 2016, when he was made German captain.
‘Happy with squad'
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said he is “so happy” with his squad as they prepare to face Bundesliga leaders after a turbulent few weeks.
Spurs have struggled to find consistency this season after an unsettling summer transfer window before last week’s League Cup exit against fourth-tier Colchester was a low point and Pochettino blamed that setback on “different agendas in the squad”.
But their 2-1 victory against Southampton on Saturday lifted them to fifth in the Premier League table and helped calm nerves.
Spurs let slip a 2-0 lead in their Champions League opener against Olympiakos to draw 2-2 but Pochettino pointed out that last season the club had just a single point after three games and still reached the final, where they lost to Liverpool.
“I am so happy with the squad and we’re in a position where everything is possible,” the Spurs boss told his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“We need to be calm and be strong in our mentality. The most important thing is the belief and spirit.”