Vincent Kompany surprised the fans with a special personnel decision during FC Bayern’s resounding victory in Stuttgart. Jonas Urbig replaced the experienced Manuel Neuer in goal – and his performance drew praise from the fans.
The 22-year-old not only celebrated a clean sheet against VfB, but also impressed with an impressive overview of the game. As he told DAZN, he found out about his involvement at short notice: „I found out this morning at 11 o’clock that I was playing. Of course I’m happy to be playing. I’m always prepared, we always prepare together as a goalkeeping team.“
With an 82 per cent pass rate, eleven successful long balls and 57 ball contacts, Urbig became the silent director in the build-up play. Many fans on the X platform were enthusiastic and did not miss out on comparisons with their own outfield players. One user wrote provocatively in English: „Urbig had more precise passes than midfielder Goretzka“ and even backed this up with pictures of the statistics.
Urbig had more accurate passes than midfielder Goretzka https://t.co/niTL0HSnN0 pic.twitter.com/XvqRtTVlLj
– Deebo (@lostsimpsonn) December 6, 2025
Another commented: „We need to talk about Urbig. what a goalkeeper, man. those passes, my god. and with so little game time. imagine what he can do when he plays regularly. he’s been better than Neuer this season. there’s no reason why Neuer shouldn’t give up more games. a tragedy that he doesn’t.“
„Brutal balls from Urbig“
Another fan praised: „Absolutely nothing against Neuer, but he and Urbig are worlds apart in terms of build-up play. What brutal balls from Urbig so far today, how the man sees the gaps is simply world class.“
While Neuer was rested, coach Kompany deliberately opted for rotation. As he explained before the game, he wanted to use the entire squad in three games in six days: „Jonas has never disappointed so far and has always helped us… We also discussed this with Manu and decided to do it today rather than next week.“ Manuel Neuer is expected to be in goal again on Tuesday evening in the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon.
Nevertheless, Urbig made impressive use of the opportunity. With a precise long ball, he also set up Laimer for the 1:0 – and thus played his way further into the hearts of the fans. More and more voices are being raised online who would rather see Urbig as Neuer’s successor today than tomorrow.
