Bayern Munich 's incredible unbeaten run came to an end yesterday at the Emirates. Beaten 3-1 by Arsenal , the Bavarians suffered their first defeat after 18 matches without a loss. A remarkable feat for the Gunners and their coach, Mikel Arteta. "I have to congratulate our players because I think they played an incredible match against what is, in my opinion, the best team in Europe ," the Spaniard said after the match. His Bayern Munich counterpart, Vincent Kompany, responded to the compliment. "We had this discussion three weeks ago when we played PSG. They (the Parisians) mentioned the same thing. I don't think any of us want to be the best team in November ," he said, before reflecting on the defeat.
Involved in two of the three goals conceded by Bayern
“All teams can lose, that’s football. I think we didn’t start the first half badly, but then we conceded a goal from a set piece. Nevertheless, we regained the lead and equalized. At halftime, I felt we could have won the game if we had continued our momentum. But we couldn’t find our rhythm in the second half. Arsenal managed to make the difference. They controlled the game very well and capitalized on their opportunities. I’m not going to make excuses. We have to admit that Arsenal were better. We need to sort things out on Saturday. I can tell the lads are already looking forward to the next match.” Kompany and Bayern Munich aren’t traumatized by this defeat, as they remain very well placed in the Champions League standings (3rd).
This observation was shared by the entire German press, which refrained from launching a full-scale attack on the Munich club after its incredible unbeaten run. However, one German player was singled out for criticism, and that was Manuel Neuer . Before the match, Bayern's CEO, Max Eberl, called for the iconic 39-year-old goalkeeper to return to the national team. "Should he be at the 2026 World Cup? Yes. He's the best goalkeeper in Germany. We're incredibly happy to have extended his contract and that he's healthy. The breaks during the international windows are good for him. But he's very motivated." It seems Eberl brought Neuer bad luck. Beaten to the ball by Jürgen Timbers on a corner, the Bavarian goalkeeper was directly involved in London's opening goal. Powerless against Madueke for the 2-1 goal, Neuer then completely missed the mark with fifteen minutes remaining. During an Arsenal counter-attack, he was practically on the halfway line to stop Gabriel Martinelli's run. His completely botched intervention allowed the Brazilian to tap the second goal into an empty net.
Neuer betrayed by his style
After the match, the player responsible explained himself in the mixed zone. “When you’re behind, you simply have to take a few more risks. We had to take more at that moment. The pass was good, not too long. I saw that Martinelli was going for Joshua Kimmich. He’s a bit faster than him, so it would have been a one-on-one and a great opportunity. I tried to anticipate it, but he took control, which was crucial, and in the end, I wasn’t well positioned,” he said, before defending himself for the first goal conceded in the match. “He (Timber) clearly unbalances me, that’s obvious, and I find myself in a different position than I would have liked, which prevents me from moving forward as easily.”
However, the German media were not kind to him. Our colleagues at Fussball Transfers gave him a rating of 5 (1 being the best and 6 the worst), while Bild headlined: "Neuer's performance was a disaster ." Former German international Michael Ballack, speaking on DAZN, said: "Manuel obviously took all the risks. If things go wrong, the risk is too great. Of course, it's part of his game to some extent, but it simply wasn't necessary here." Finally , the Süddeutsche Zeitung ran the headline: "Neuer's style caused his downfall ," highlighting that the German, known for venturing far from his goal, was this time betrayed by a style that may no longer be suitable for a 39-year-old goalkeeper.
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