The countdown to the start of Euro 2024 is well underway. One of the favourites to be crowned the best European team is Germany, the host nation for this edition. There is a lot of pressure on the German national team, which has suffered several disappointments in major tournaments. To avoid this, Julian Nagelsmann has called up a squad with two excellent goalkeepers: Marc-André ter Stegen and Manuel Neuer.
One of the big debates surrounding the German national team is who should be the starting goalkeeper, the Barcelona or Bayern Munich goalkeeper. The coach, in no uncertain terms, put out the fire after a friendly match against Greece. “I don’t want to discuss the role of the goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer is and will be our starting goalkeeper. I won’t let any discussion arise, even though everyone is trying to start one,” he argued.
Previously, the Barcelona goalkeeper had lit the fuse by saying that his more than likely substitute role at the next European Championship is “very disappointing”. Ter Stegen said that “it is not a pleasant situation”, but that he accepts the decision, although “he does not agree”, as “at the end of the day you have a responsibility to the group” and that he will help “in whatever way he can”. “I told the national coach that one thing is sporting and another is human. I want everyone to be able to trust me,” he said after Germany’s friendly match against Ukraine.
The Blaugrana’s statements have not gone unanswered, and it has been Manuel Neuer, the theoretical starting goalkeeper for the German national team, who has responded. The Bayern goalkeeper commented that “it is a well-known problem in the goalkeeper position.” “There has never been a coach who has allowed two goalkeepers to play,” Neuer quipped, stressing that “the decision is always difficult, Marc knows the situation. It has to be said, it’s a shame because he’s really a world-class goalkeeper who has shown good performances. But that’s also part of the business,” he said in this regard.
The truth is that Ter Stegen has only been able to start for the German national team when Neuer has been injured. The Blaugrana played all the matches in which he was available in 2023 and the first two of 2024, when the Bayern goalkeeper was given the medical all-clear, he returned to ostracism. In total, he has worn the gloves for the national team on 40 occasions and everything indicates that he will not increase that number during the European Championship.
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