A supposedly meaningless defeat against Ecuador may have told Germany more than any comfortable win could. The match exposed a team without midfield authority, tempo or physical resistance, with too many famous names losing the ball as soon as football became uncomfortable. Musiala, Wirtz and Havertz looked fragile, Neuer looked late, and only a few exceptions suggested this side still remembers what a duel is.
Tag: neuer
Is Manuel Neuer the Answer, or the Symptom?
Germany is not really debating Manuel Neuer. Germany is debating whether its old certainty is still safer than its unfinished future. Neuer may still offer the world-class ceiling needed to win a World Cup, but at forty he also brings fragility, hierarchy problems and the risk of one decisive mistake. Baumann offers competence, not greatness. The question is whether Germany is choosing its best goalkeeper, or merely returning to the last answer that once worked.
alexreusch 