Ahead of the German national team’s World Cup opener, Manuel Neuer’s playing time remains a topic of discussion. A legendary DFB goalkeeper advises Nagelsmann to consider rotating the goalkeeper position.
The German national team kicks off the World Cup against Curacao on Sunday at 7 p.m. Currently, everything points to Manuel Neuer starting in goal. For the 40-year-old, it would be his first international match since the quarterfinal against Spain at the 2024 home European Championship.
Neuer missed the final two warm-up matches against Finland and the U.S. due to a calf injury. Quite a few fans are therefore concerned about Neuer’s fitness and fear a possible recurrence of the injury.
German goalkeeping legend Nadine Angerer has yet another reason for concern: the temperatures in the U.S.
„I know from personal experience how hot it can get in the U.S. in the summer. The temperatures are brutal. It’s tropical heat; it’s harder to breathe. You step off the plane and feel like you’re running into a wall,” wrote German goalkeeping legend Nadine Angerer in her column for t-online.
The 2003 and 2007 World Cup champion played in the U.S. during her active career and is therefore very familiar with the conditions.
„For example, when I arrived for games in Florida, I was so quickly exhausted that I asked myself: What have you actually been training for all these years? These temperatures wear you down. Our bodies aren’t used to that,“ Angerer revealed.
Rotation in goal?
As a possible solution, Angerer could envision a rotation in the goalkeeper position.
„As a former goalkeeper and current goalkeeper coach, I’m actually not a fan of rotation in goal. But given Neuer’s injured calf and the limited training in recent weeks, the national team coach should consider whether Oliver Baumann shouldn’t play the third group stage match. That would be good for Manuel Neuer’s health and therefore good for the team,” explained Angerer.