Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has publicly criticized Manuel Neuer’s decision-making following the veteran goalkeeper’s costly mistake in Saturday’s 2-2 Bundesliga draw against Augsburg. Neuer’s early error gifted Augsburg the fastest goal in Bundesliga history, derailing the Bavarian giants’ momentum and squandering a golden opportunity to climb to the summit of the table.
Augsburg’s Robin Fellhauer pounced swiftly on the loose ball, reacting quickest to slot home and hand the hosts a shock early advantage. Speaking to SkySport after the match, Eberl did not shy away from addressing the goalkeeper’s rare misstep, while also noting broader defensive lapses across the team. “He made a mistake, took the ball poorly, then he wanted to solve it and solved it too riskily,” Eberl said.
“We made life difficult for ourselves with a series of mistakes. Manu is involved in that, but others are too.” While acknowledging Neuer’s legendary status and consistency over his illustrious career, Eberl expressed surprise at the nature of the error. “We had enough chances to win the game anyway. We all know, you rarely see that from Manuel Neuer,” he continued.
“I don’t know his 800 or more competitive games and I don’t know if he has made bigger blunders there. He made a mistake, took the ball poorly, then he wanted to solve it, in the end solved it too riskily.” Despite failing to secure all three points, Bayern will look to regroup as they search for greater defensive stability in their upcoming fixtures.