Bayern boss backs Neuer to return to form

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund has spoken out about the criticism Manuel Neuer has received following Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat to Barcelona.

Manuel Neuer has been under fire after an unconvincing start to the 2024/25 season, with critics claiming he’s no longer the player he once was.

Most recently, the 38-year-old failed to make a single save as Bayern Munich lost 4-1 to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday. That performance prompted former Bayern and Germany star Lothar Matthaus to claim that Neuer is “not the support for the team that he was in the past”.

However, responding to the criticism at a press conference on Saturday, Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund expressed confidence that Neuer will return to top form.

“Manu has certainly had games where he hasn’t been able to stand out. It’s often very, very difficult for a goalkeeper when there aren’t many chances on goal and the few that come his way are capitalized on,” said Freund. 

“Manu is always trying to improve. It’s a very attack-based goalkeeping game: the way we play football suits Manu. He’s still a very, very big support, he’s a very big character, he has a big presence. We’ll have games again where we talk about our goalkeeper differently because he’s won games for us again.”

Neuer and Bayern face Bochum in their next game on Sunday.