Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer rules out Germany retirement after World Cup exit

In the deflating aftermath of Germany’s tumble out of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, it’s normal for some of the older international stars to consider their futures in the DFB setup. But the next European Championships, in summer 2024, are not so far away — and they’ll be hosted by Germany, to boot.

Count 36-year-old Bayern Munich keeper Manuel Neuer as all in still — as long as coach Hansi Flick keeps calling him up!

Manuel Neuer wants to continue his career with the DFB. “If I continue to be invited, then I will come,” the OG sweeper-keeper said simply after Germany’s 4-2 win over Costa Rica (via Sport Bild’s Tobi Altschäffl).

Neuer has had a vice grip on Germany’s No. 1 jersey since the 2010 World Cup — despite plenty of competition at the position. FC Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen is also a global superstar but has had to spend his international career largely in Neuer’s shadow. Eintracht Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp and ex-Arsenal FC, now Fulham man Bernd Leno form another part of the rotating cast behind Neuer in the national team call-ups.

This is good news for the DFB, as the Bayern man hasn’t really showed serious signs of slowing down. If someone else wants the job, they’ll have to take it from him first!

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‘Brilliant’- Ilkay Gundogan Praises Bayern Munich And Barcelona Starlets
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was keen to praise three youngsters that featured in Germany’s clash with Spain in the World Cup.

Having played for his country for over ten years now, it’s fair to say that Ilkay Gundogan is no newcomer to international football.

The Manchester City midfielder made his debut for Germany in 2011 and has gone on to make 65 appearances for his nation.

Gundogan was called up to the Germany squad once more for the World Cup and has been a key player for his country so far in the tournament, starting in both of Die Mannschaft’s games.

The midfielder found himself scoresheet in his side’s opening match of the tournament, scoring from the penalty spot. However, despite his goal, the German’s suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Japan.

Germany had a more positive showing in their second game, drawing 1-1 with a talented Spain team, thanks to a late Niclas Fullkrug equaliser.

But despite the improvement in the match, the 2014 World Cup winners currently sit bottom of their group, behind Japan and Costa Rica on three points and Spain on one.

Reflecting on the draw, Gundogan said he believed his side did enough to beat the Spaniards. “I think we could have scored a second goal if you look at the chances,” the four-time Premier League winner told Wettfreunde.

But if you look at the whole 90 minutes, I think the draw is okay, especially after the first goal. Now it’s all about the last game.”

One notable aspect of the game was the number of young players involved in it, with Germany’s Jamal Musiala and Spain’s Pedri and Gavi all starting for their nations.

Despite the trio’s relative lack of experience, all three men impressed in the encounter- and Gundogan was among the plaudits for the midfielders, he said: “We have Jamal (Musiala), who’s still a kid. But these kids (Musiala, Pedri & Gavi) are really good, so they’re not really kids on the field.

“They play fantastic, all three, they were all brilliant.

“Jamal made a great game, he’s really important for our game because he can beat players 1v1.”

Gundogan and his teammates will need Musiala to be at his best again in their upcoming match against Costa Rica, which they have to win to advance to the knockout rounds.

The former world champions will be desperate to avoid yet another embarrassing exit from the competition, having been knocked out in the group stages of the 2018 World Cup.

Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Germany vs. Japan at the World Cup; Does Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard prefer a Premier League move; Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham to Liverpool in January?; Bayern Munich out on Borna Sosa?; and MORE!

Die Folgen: Germany’s shocking 2-1 loss to Japan (Bavarian Football Works)

They did it again.

Yup, Germany — under former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick — put forth a terrible effort in its World Cup opener against Japan. Back in 2018, it was Mexico, but it might not matter who the opposition is, the German national team was not ready to perform on the big stage in Qatar.

Here are some quick hitters on a very unfortunate match:

Ilkay Gündogan starting over Leon Goretzka was a bit of a shock, while Thomas Müller’s inclusion was not a surprise (it was all dependent on his health). I predicted that Flick would go with a flexible front four that would interchange non-stop. When Leroy Sané went down with a knee injury, that did not deter my line of thinking as Kai Havertz is a versatile attacker as well. I was eager to see if that is how it would play out.
Niklas Süle at right-back made sense as well. Aside of Goretzka’s exclusion, I was okay with everything else Flick did with the starting XI, but not overly confident.
Germany’s sloppiness was almost costly early on, but an offside call saved Flick’s team from being down 1-0 early. Maybe sloppiness is not the right word, but maybe just poor decision-making.
What was concerning early was the lack of urgency for Germany, Japan was running hard, pressing, and showing a ton of energy, Germany was very nonchalant. Yes, this felt more like a start under Joachim Löw than under Flick.
Antonio Rüdiger’s header in the 17th minute almost out Germany in front. That would have been an enormous goal at the stage. Joshua Kimmich had a terrific delivery on the corner attempt. One the day, Rüdiger turned in a decent performance (much better than his defensive brethren).
This game felt like it needed Goretzka’s physical presence in the midfield. Japan’s high intensity did not overly disturb Kimmich and Gündogan, but it did cause them to be a little more conservative.
Germany wasted a ton of chances but settling for worse shots than they should have.

Germany Training Session – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
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Nico Schlotterbeck has some very careless tendencies for a center-back and just was not great when he needed to be.
David Raum made a terrific run to set up Germany’s first goal. Japan GK Shuichi Gonda fouled Raum and Gündogan buried the subsequent penalty kick. The play was an absolute gift from Gonda, who likely would not make the same decision if placed in the same situation again.
None of the attackers gave Germany enough for most of the first half, but things got better toward the end of the half, but that faded with a very inefficient second half that lacked creativity. They did miss Timo Werner’s movement a bit and the threat that his quick burst provided. Same for Leroy Sané who, like Werner, has an explosive burst that would have caused Japan a lot of trouble.
Goretzka and Jonas Hofmann came on for Gündogan and Müller. Müller did not look like himself and was ineffective. Gündogan was involved too much in the offense it seemed and could not convert his chances. Hofmann looked a bit rattled.
Manuel Neuer’s save in the 73rd minute was vintage Neuer and prevented the match from ending in a draw. Just two minutes later, Neuer’s Superman act came to an end as his defense and midfield let him down.
Japan’s goal was the product of the squad’s persistence and a very lackadaisical effort from the Germans. Ritsu Doan pounced all over a rebound and knotted the game at 1-1.
Niclas Füllkrug and Mario Götze came on for Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala in the 79th minute. Havertz gave Germany nothing and Musiala was “off” all day with his decision-making passing accuracy, and touch.
And then...it all fell apart. Takuma Asano did the unthinkable as a sub and gave Japan a 2-1 lead. Germany once again buckled in the World Cup opener. Schlotterbeck offered little resistance in stopping Asano, but as Flick pointed out after the match, it was Süle’s loss of focus, which allowed Asano to be onside and get the edge on Schlotterbeck.
Youssoufa Moukoko came on late for Serge Gnabry, who also did not offered much.
Overall, it was a new coach, same result kind of deal. The attack was largely toothless and lacked creativity, the defense was too often in scramble mode, and there was an overall lack of energy and urgency. Yes, these were all the same traits that the team had under Joachim Löw. Where was the high energy level, creativity, and confidence that Germany showed when Flick initially took over? Those things were all absent.

Did Bayern Munich’s Agent Neuer have inside information on Youssoufa Moukoko?

On Saturday, we saw the post drop regarding Bayern Munich star Manuel Neuer’s in-jest recruitment of Borussia Dortmund phenom Youssoufa Moukoko at a press conference for the German national team while at the World Cup in Qatar.

According to Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), however, Bayern Munich has already discussed the potential of a move for Moukoko, but has opted against it…for now:

Bayern thought about the name of Youssoufa Moukoko internally and considered whether a move would make sense. However, the club came to a conclusion that they don’t make a move for the youngster. Moukoko is increasingly leaning towards extending his contract at Dortmund.

Moukoko, who has not destroyed the Bundesliga like some has anticipated, still has a load of potential at 18-years-old and will likely at least be on Bayern Munich’s transfer radar years to come.

However, Liverpool FC, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona are all known to be fans of Moukoko, which could make bidding on the youngster a difficult process.

Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller returns to Germany training ahead of schedule

Thomas Müller has not featured for Bayern Munich since their 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League group stages at the end of October. For that match, he came on as a substitute in the second half, having done the same in their previous group stage win over Viktoria Plzen. In the Bundesliga, he has not featured since the 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen back at the end of September, which had snapped Bayern’s four match winless run in the league at the time.

Since the beginning of October, Müller has been dealing with a hip issue that’s kept him on the sidelines, partially out of caution to make sure he didn’t run a risk of not being able to partake in the World Cup with Germany in Qatar. Thankfully for Julian Nagelsmann and Bayern, they haven’t stopped winning in Müller’s absence, but all of the focus is now on Die Mannschaft and the World Cup from the German perspective and for Müller.

Per new information from the German Football Association (via Az), Müller has already marked his return to training on the pitch, which has now occurred a day ahead of schedule. He completed his first full training session, a key milestone in his recovery. He had previously been training individually ever since leaving Munich and joining up with the German squad.

Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger was also slated to mark a return to full training on Saturday, but has also been declared fully fit, and like Müller, he will be available for the World Cup opener against Japan in Doha. Rudiger had not featured for Real Madrid since their 1-1 draw with Girona on the 30th of October. Neither Rudiger nor Müller were a part of Germany’s 1-0 friendly win over Oman in Muscat midweek as to not run a risk of setting them back any further with regards to being ready to go against Japan.

Romano breaks down the Ronaldo-to-Bayern rumors (Caught Offside)
By now you have all heard that Bayern Munich allegedly held talks with Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent, Jorge Mendes. You might have also seen the German journalists jump out quickly to refute that claim.

This furor, of course, was all sparked when Ronaldo lambasted Manchester United in an interview with Piers Morgan.

Now, though, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided his own breakdown of the situation.

“There were rumors a few days ago of a secret meeting between Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes and the Bayern Munich directors. I’ve been checking in the last 24 hours and my information is that there was no meeting,” Romano said. “Bayern sources deny any meeting – this has been the position for some time. They are happy with their attacking options, having signed Sadio Mané in the summer, and with top talents like Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and in-form youngster Jamal Musiala. Ronaldo was offered to Bayern last summer, but there was no intention to sign a player of his age. He’s a fantastic player who’s had a great career, but Bayern have a different kind of project.”

The thought of Ronaldo suiting up in Bayern red at the Allianz Arena caused some fans agitation, while others were piqued by the chaos that would have occurred. Regardless, it does not appear that CR7 will have to brush up on his German any time soon.

Meanwhile, 90Min.com captured this tidbit on Depay from Mundo Deportivo:

Memphis Depay wants to leave Barcelona on a free transfer in the January window having been denied a move away at the end of August. Tottenham and Manchester United are among the clubs interested in his signature. (Mundo Deportivo)

Has BVB found its right-back? (Sport1)
Borussia Dortmund has been in search of a right-back to help solidify its lineup and it appears that BVB has settled on Leeds United’s Cody Drameh:

According to the Daily Mail, BVB found what they were looking for at the right-back in the Premier League. At Leeds United to be precise. Cody Drameh is said to be the hopeful and is considered a great talent. The 20-year-old can play both left and right in defense and would bring important flexibility to Dortmund’s game.

However, Drameh, who is under contract at Leeds until 2024, has only played one of 14 possible Premier League games this season. It is therefore questionable whether he will strengthen Edin Terzic’s team in the short term.

In addition to BVB, Newcastle should also be interested in signing the defensive talent. With Kieran Trippier, however, the Magpies are currently well occupied. Transfers like Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also show that Dortmund is the perfect place to develop as a youth player.

Die Folgen: Germany’s 1-0 win over Oman (Bavarian Football Works)
Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick certainly had things he wanted to see out of his team against Oman.

Choppiness and shakiness were certainly not among them.

Regardless, the manager definitely saw some issues with the fluidity of his squad’s play and a very unstable showing from the backline (weird to say in a shutout, right?). Hopefully, things get better for Flick and his boys. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

Germany…did not look ready for the World Cup. However, this was a bit of a makeshift lineup that did not really gel all that well against an inferior opponent:

One of the expectations I have for Germany is that its second unit should be good enough to walk away from a team like Omanpretty easily. I don’t want to sound like the Germans were under any type of consistent threat (they weren’t), but I really expected it to look a lot better than it did.
I will say, however, that the heat could have been a factor.
The starting group of attackers (Youssoufa Moukoko, Kai Havertz, Leroy Sané, and Jonas Hofmann) was really out-of-sync and kind of toothless. Moukoko did not look ready for this stage, but he is young. This tournament is more about the experience for him than the playing time.
For as much as people outright dog Timo Werner, there is at least a threat when he is in a match. Germany lacked that for a lot of the game. Germany’s attack lacked urgency and creativity — which was extremely disappointing.
This match was eerily reminiscent of how uneven Germany looked against Austria in 2018 right before the World Cup. The difference was that Austria was a good side who had bad luck in qualifying. Oman, well, is not even at that level.
Antonio Rüdiger and Niklas Süle should help sure up the backline for Flick.
Niclas Füllkrug’s 80th minute tally off of an assist from Kai Havertz was nice (and needed!). I think there were some members of the DFB sweating this result a bit (just like many fans).
Füllkrug definitely helped his cause in this match.
I have to say it. I don’t “get” Thilo Kehrer.
I found it interesting with some of the selections who did not play — Mario Götze among them. Perhaps, he will have the bigger role that was rumored.
Overall…it was not great, but maybe my expectations were a bit too high for a mixed unit not featuring several key players. I do think this team needs Thomas Müller back as soon as possible — and I also think my four-man, Bayern Munich based attacking group of starters still makes the most sense (though I did not dislike what I saw from Füllkrug). The key, however, is the scaled down group of players dug deep and pulled out a win — which was absolutely needed for morale. You need to win games like this — they do matter when it comes to building some type of momentum and cohesion within a team. Sure, there was no tangible downside to losing, but why place that sliver of doubt into anyone’s mind when you don’t need to. Take the win, look at where you can improve, and move on.

Oman 0 – 1 Germany: Initial reactions and observations
Match awards from Germany’s 1-0 win over Oman
Four observations from Germany’s 1-0 escape over Oman
Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Oman 0-1 Germany (World Cup Warm-up)
Bayern, Barca, Madrid competing for English youth (Peterborough Telegraph)
Peterborough United manager Grant McCann is unhappy that one of his key players, 19-year-old center-back Charlie O’Connell has rejected several rich offers of a new contract from the club.

With Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona among the clubs in pursuit of O’Connell, however, it is easy to see why the youngster might have his eyes elsewhere.

“It’s been a disappointing few months for him. We offered him a new four-and-a-half-year deal pretty much straight after the Plymouth game but unfortunately, Charlie is not going to sign. He’s obviously been told by his agent that there’s Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich after him. That’s really frustrating for us as we see a real pathway for Charlie,” McCann said.

Not to sound like a broken record, but this is the kind of acquisition that would fit into the rumored “new philosophy” of buying low and selling high.

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Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 19 (Bavarian Football Works)
Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick named his squad for the World Cup in Qatar and boy, did it get people reacting.

There were some obvious choices, some surprises, and some head scratchers, but that is exactly why we are here — let’s react and hash out where we thought Flick got it right and where he might have gotten it wrong. Here is what we have on tap:

An overview of the position groups and who the starters might be.
Where the Bayern Munich boys fits into the mix.
What some options are for Flick to look at in his attack.
Why Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka should get the call as starters.
Why it appears that Flick valued versatility?
The surprising return of Mario Götze and the stunning — and possibly regrettable — omission of Mats Hummels.
Also, we talk about Bayern Munich’s recent form, the impressive run the team is on, why it might take some time to get back to that level after the World Cup, and MORE!