3 reasons why Manuel Neuer should also have been axed by Joachim Low
Football is truly entertaining, but at times, decisions made by people within the sport often generate a lot of confusion and arguments among spectators all over the world. These decisions usually emanate from various parties, and managers are not excluded.
Germany coach Joachim Low recently revealed that he would not be calling the trio of Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, and Mats Hummels up to the national team any longer - an announcement that sent the football world into a turmoil as people took turns to debate on the matter.
In his speech, he mentioned that 'this is the year for a new beginning' and football fans could perceive that he actually has his eyes set on the future. Pulling out the old players in the squad and giving opportunities to the young guns really looks like a great way to lay the foundations for what lies ahead.
However, while axing Muller, Boateng, and Hummels from the squad looks reasonable from Joachim Low's perspective, there has been a question on the minds of football fans during the past few weeks and that is: "how on earth is Manuel Neuer still in the team?"
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was surprisingly left in the squad even after a number of his colleagues were pulled out. This decision has not gone down well with everyone as many believe that he should've been the first person to be taken off the team.
To be honest, keeping Neuer in the team doesn't look like a very good decision from Low and below, we discuss 3 reasons why the veteran goalkeeper should've also been axed by the manager:
#3 Manuel Neuer's age and injury crisis
Manuel Neuer's impact, both at the club and international level cannot be belittled, having won most of the major trophies in the sport, including the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League. He has also maintained his stand as one of the finest goalkeepers in European football for the past 6 years.
However, his recurring injury concerns need to be taken into consideration as he has not been in his best physical condition for the past 2 years. The goalkeeper went into the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia struggling with fitness issues and he was far from his best as Germany were eliminated in the group stage.
His injury also cost Bayern Munich against Real Madrid in the Champions League last term as his absence forced the Bavarians to deploy Sven Ulreich between the sticks and the German International failed terribly at the Santiago Bernabeu. He also got injured earlier this year and missed 3 Bundesliga games as a result.
If Neuer's injury crisis is not convincing enough, let's consider his age. The goalkeeper was born on March 27, 1986, which implies that he is now 32 years old. Comparing his age with Thomas Muller (29), Mats Hummels (30) and Jerome Boateng (30), we can see that the guardian is clearly older than these axed players.
If Joachim Low actually wants to look to the future, then Manuel Neuer should not be part of it.