|
|
Manuel Neuer Emerges From Schalke Shambles To Prove He’s Ready For Any Top Club
With his heroic performance against Manchester United, Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer proved he is ready for any top club.
27-Apr-2011 5:30:00 AM
By Clark Whitney
Schalke may have lost 2-0 at home on Tuesday night to Manchester United in the Champions semi-finals, but by full time, Ralf Rangnick’s men could only be thankful their humiliation was not taken to a further degree.
Hopes were high in Gelsenkirchen after the Germans beat Valencia and Inter on their way to the final four, but die Knappen appear to have met their Waterloo in United.
In nearly every area of the pitch, the Red Devils outclassed their hosts, who were technically flat, and appeared uninspired as they chased shadows for 90 minutes. There was one zone that Schalke managed to dominate, however: the domain of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, whose heroics preserved a respectable scoreline.
United easily could have been 3-0 ahead within the opening quarter of an hour, and the visitors had three more clear chances to beat the Germany No. 1 before half-time. And yet, Neuer managed to bail out his woeful defence on six occasions, safeguarding his team’s diminishing hopes with a clean sheet over the opening 45 minutes.
Schalke had a chance to regroup in the dressing room, but did not take it, and instead left Neuer stranded. It was only a matter of time before the deadlock was
broken, and Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney effectively decided the tie as they scored in rapid succession mid-way through the second half.
Some fans labelled Neuer a traitor following his recent announcement that he will not extend his Schalke contract past 2012, but following Tuesday’s performance, there is no wonder as to why he decided to leave his hometown. Though it may have been a long time coming, the conclusion is now unavoidable: he simply is too good for the team he has served for 20 years.
When he made his first real breakthrough five years ago, Neuer was perhaps Europe’s best-kept secret. Possibly the best game of his career came in the spring of 2007, in which he single-handedly carried Schalke past Porto to the Champions League quarter-finals. He later was named the Bundesliga’s best goalkeeper.
However, due to Schalke’s inconsistent domestic results and Joachim Low’s reluctance to use a young goalkeeper in the German national team, he remained under the radar until late last spring, when fate intervened. Rene Adler sustained a broken rib and was ruled out of the 2010 World Cup, meaning that Neuer’s time had come to shine on the big stage. And shine he did; the newcomer emerged from the tournament as one of the world’s elite goalkeepers.
Neuer has sustained his momentum all year, and he and Raul carried Schalke as far as the Champions League semi-final. But on Tuesday, the gap between Neuer and the
rest of his team was crystal clear.
If he is to be named the best goalkeeper in the world, he must play for a better team. To his benefit, it is now more undeniable than ever that virtually any club would love to attain his services.
Immediately after the 2-0 defeat, Neuer revealed that Manchester was never a possible destination for his post-Schalke life, a comment that further pushed him towards Bayern Munich. The citizens of Gelsenkirchen will be up in arms if he does indeed move to their bitter rivals, but following Tuesday's match, they can place no blame on the goalkeeper. Their dream has ended; Neuer's has just begun.
Follow Goal.com on
. Get the latest football news direct... Check out Goal.com's 
page; be part of the best football fan community in the world!
Hopes were high in Gelsenkirchen after the Germans beat Valencia and Inter on their way to the final four, but die Knappen appear to have met their Waterloo in United.
In nearly every area of the pitch, the Red Devils outclassed their hosts, who were technically flat, and appeared uninspired as they chased shadows for 90 minutes. There was one zone that Schalke managed to dominate, however: the domain of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, whose heroics preserved a respectable scoreline.
United easily could have been 3-0 ahead within the opening quarter of an hour, and the visitors had three more clear chances to beat the Germany No. 1 before half-time. And yet, Neuer managed to bail out his woeful defence on six occasions, safeguarding his team’s diminishing hopes with a clean sheet over the opening 45 minutes.
Schalke had a chance to regroup in the dressing room, but did not take it, and instead left Neuer stranded. It was only a matter of time before the deadlock was
| MANUEL NEUER |
|
|
|
|
| PLAYER RATING | |
| 9.0 | He was a one-man army for Schalke, who relied solely on his brilliance to stay in the game as long as they did. Displayed his wares early on with a string of fine saves both from shots and coming out of his goal. He was also authoritative with high balls into the area and led from the front as every captain should. Finally beaten twice, no blame can be apportioned to Neuer. Bayern Munich are getting the world's best goalkeeper should everything be ironed out in the weeks to come. |
| Sir Alex on Neuer | |
| “Manuel Neuer is unbelievable. That was the best performance I've ever seen from a goalkeeper in a match against us” - Sir Alex Ferguson
|
|
Some fans labelled Neuer a traitor following his recent announcement that he will not extend his Schalke contract past 2012, but following Tuesday’s performance, there is no wonder as to why he decided to leave his hometown. Though it may have been a long time coming, the conclusion is now unavoidable: he simply is too good for the team he has served for 20 years.
When he made his first real breakthrough five years ago, Neuer was perhaps Europe’s best-kept secret. Possibly the best game of his career came in the spring of 2007, in which he single-handedly carried Schalke past Porto to the Champions League quarter-finals. He later was named the Bundesliga’s best goalkeeper.
However, due to Schalke’s inconsistent domestic results and Joachim Low’s reluctance to use a young goalkeeper in the German national team, he remained under the radar until late last spring, when fate intervened. Rene Adler sustained a broken rib and was ruled out of the 2010 World Cup, meaning that Neuer’s time had come to shine on the big stage. And shine he did; the newcomer emerged from the tournament as one of the world’s elite goalkeepers.
Neuer has sustained his momentum all year, and he and Raul carried Schalke as far as the Champions League semi-final. But on Tuesday, the gap between Neuer and the
rest of his team was crystal clear.
If he is to be named the best goalkeeper in the world, he must play for a better team. To his benefit, it is now more undeniable than ever that virtually any club would love to attain his services.
Immediately after the 2-0 defeat, Neuer revealed that Manchester was never a possible destination for his post-Schalke life, a comment that further pushed him towards Bayern Munich. The citizens of Gelsenkirchen will be up in arms if he does indeed move to their bitter rivals, but following Tuesday's match, they can place no blame on the goalkeeper. Their dream has ended; Neuer's has just begun.
Follow Goal.com on
. Get the latest football news direct... Check out Goal.com's page; be part of the best football fan community in the world!Inside Goal.Com
-
Vote for your Goal.com World Player of the Week
Have your say on who you think should win Goal.com's weekly honour
-
Euro 2012 a timely respite for depressed Spain
With 24 per cent unemployment, wage cuts and little hope for improvement in the short term, the continental competition will at least take people's minds off their sad situation
-
Welbeck impresses but it's a bad day for Johnson
Ashley Young has also all but secured his place in the starting line up against France while Steven Gerrard put a good shift in. Here's how the Belgium friendly affected the England player's chances of featuring in Euro 2012
-
Five players Rodgers could sign for Liverpool
The new Reds boss was unveiled to the press on Friday and must immediately begin work on revitalising a thin squad with some additions in the transfer market
-
Lambert the latest in EPL manager merry-go-round
The Scot officially left Norwich City on Saturday to become the second new boss in June, following the appointment of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool on Friday