Nagelsmann defends Neuer after mistake vs Greece

Germany secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Greece in their final friendly match before hosting Euro 2024. Julian Nagelsmann’s team had to come from behind after a mistake by Manuel Neuer allowed Greece to take the lead.

The decision to keep Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper as the national team’s number one has faced increasing scrutiny, with Marc-André ter Stegen providing strong competition. However, Nagelsmann insisted that Neuer will remain the starter.

“I will not discuss the goalkeeper position. Manuel Neuer is and will be our starter. I will not entertain any debate on this matter, even if everyone tries to initiate one. Neuer prevented us from falling further behind early in the match with two good saves against Tzolis. He made three world-class saves that not everyone can make. So far, there have been no accumulating mistakes, and he continues to have my trust.

🔴🇩🇪 Julian Nagelsmann: “I’ll not entertain any discussion about the goalkeeper role, Manuel Neuer is and will be our starting GK”.

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Netherlands and Germany with a 2-2 draw in Amsterdam

“I won’t let any discussion arise, even if everyone tries to start one”. pic.twitter.com/rejD5WtyS8

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 8, 2024

In the second half, we performed significantly better compared to the first. For the first time in a long while, we lost possession in the first half; we played too slowly, and most of our attacks went through the center. I made this clear to the players at halftime. We needed more sharpness in our actions to secure the victory. In the second half, we started using the wings more, which opened up more spaces in the central area,” Nagelsmann stated after the match.