Max Eberl boosts Manuel Neuer before departure to Stavanger

FC Bayern Munich's sporting director Max Eberl gave goalkeeper Manuel Neuer a clear boost of confidence shortly before his departure to Norway. Ahead of the Champions League match on Tuesday at 21:00 in Stavanger against the club Viking, this was clearly communicated, underscoring the club's confidence.

Eberl quoted the 40‑year‑old goalkeeper: “Manu made a mistake. It has certainly happened to him at least once or twice in the two decades he has now been playing professional football.” With this he emphasized that such situations are normal.

Looking ahead to Neuer's designated successor Jonas Urbig, Eberl said: “A clear idea. We have been implementing it for almost one and a half to two years now.” He emphasized that Urbig has been part of the planning for some time.

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The 23‑year‑old Urbig, who recently had an impressive start with the national team, has already represented the 40‑year‑old Neuer twice this season. His involvement is primarily a matter of load management.

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Coach Vincent Kompany has already given it some thought, according to Eberl. “Therefore I don’t want to get ahead of myself yet,” he said, without providing further details. For Bayern this is already the second league match against a Norwegian team. The opening match ended 5‑0 against Bodø/Glimt. Eberl expects a tricky game on the artificial turf in Stavanger and warns: “We have to be cautious.”

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He does not believe that Kompany will protect individual stars because of the artificial turf: “That he now says per se: artificial turf, I’ll leave this one and that one out – I haven’t heard that before.” Bayern is keen to finish in the top eight to avoid the playoffs. “We have to and want to win the match. This new model means: you always have to take your points,” Eberl emphasized.