Former Bayern goalkeeper Tom Starke (left) is interim goalkeeping coach for Yann Sommer (left), Sven Ulreich and Manuel Neuer. Image: dpa / Sven Hoppe
Bundesliga
Yann Sommer probably never would have thought that his first days in Munich would be so turbulent. After the 1-1 draw against 1. FC Köln on Tuesday evening, the house blessing at Munich is terribly wrong. again.
On the one hand, there is the trip from the previously hapless Serge Gnabry, who traveled to Paris Fashion Week on his Sunday off and was heavily criticized for it by sports director Salihamidžić after the game.
And then there is the personal details of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalović. With their announcement of parting ways with the 42-year-old, the Munich team caused an unexpected staff tremor that will also affect the future of the club.
“It’s an internal club assessment,” said goalkeeper Yann Sommer. In 2023 alone he has already had three goalkeeper coaches and a fourth will now be added. With Tapalović, “there was never any cooperation in the coaching team,” said coach Nagelsmann on Tuesday evening. However, he is said to have enjoyed a good reputation among the players.
Tapalović worked in Munich for eleven and a half years and played his part in Manuel Neuer becoming the best goalkeeper in the world. And beyond? Manuel Neuer described Tapalović as a “pioneer”, but that didn’t go down well in the league.
“It is striking that FC Bayern does not produce any players in the goalkeeping position who then at least assert themselves in other clubs in the first or second division,” summarizes goalkeeping expert Sascha Felter in an interview with watson.
“Compared to other goalkeeping coaches in the Bundesliga, he is less innovative. For years he only worked with Manuel Neuer – which isn’t bad either. But he hasn’t had a lasting impact on goalkeepers over a number of years.”
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FC Bayern: Tapalović and Neuer benefited from each other
Neuer and Tapalović are close friends. When extending his contract in Munich, Neuer is said to have always made it a condition that his friend also stayed. Therefore, Feter explains:
“For him, the accompanying aspect played a major role. I think he benefited enormously from having a very intelligent keeper in Neuer, who lent a hand himself. Both benefited from each other.”
But now Tapalović is gone – and Neuer with his contract expiring in the summer of 2024 too? The departure at least allows the interpretation that, contrary to all assurances, the Munich team does not believe 100 percent that Neuer will find his world-class form again.
In the autumn of his career, the 36-year-old experienced some changes again. In the national team, Andreas Kronenberg replaced Andreas Köpke after 17 years. Now he gets a new coach for his position at the club.
“The new input definitely can’t hurt him. As a goalkeeping coach at this level, it’s all about the finer points. Experienced goalkeepers know exactly what they need and then they plan the training week according to their needs,” says goalkeeper expert Felter.
FC Bayern: New goalkeeping coach offers a great opportunity
The departure of the long-time goalkeeping coach can also be an opportunity for Bayern Munich.
Tapalović’s work and exercises at FC Bayern have focused on Manuel Neuer over the years. There was no such thing as allowing a young goalkeeper to develop in the shadows as number 2 or 3 at the same time. That should also have been a point why the Bayern bosses decided to be dismissed.
Added to this is the lack of communication with Alexander Nübel, who was loaned to Monaco. He was actually supposed to be built up as Neuer’s successor in the long term, but never had a real relationship with Tapalović.
For goalkeeping experts Felter it is clear that Tapalović will not be replaced by an inexperienced goalkeeping coach. Much more he sees Hoffenheim’s Michael computer as the ideal solution. The 42-year-old and Nagelsmann know each other from their time together at TSG Hoffenheim and were already enthusiastic about each other back then.
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann (right) worked with Michaelrechner in Hoffenheim.Image: imago sport photo service / imago images
Calculator would bring an enormous advantage: “He is very familiar with conceptual work with goalkeepers. In Hoffenheim he has built up an extremely good goalkeeping school over the years.”
With Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Marvin Schwäbe (Cologne), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg) and Gregor Kobel (Dortmund), he trained and formed four of the current Bundesliga goalkeepers. In addition, Gladbach’s goalkeeper coach Fabian Otte was previously part of the computer team.
With Johannes Schenk (20 years old) and Tom Ritzy Hülsmann (18 years old), the Munich team already had two promising goalkeeping talents with them at the training camp in Qatar.
FC Bayern: Nübel not at Bayern level
Until the end of the second half of the season, however, Yann Sommer is the number one goalkeeper for Bayern. With the 34-year-old, Munich would only have “bought one to two years” because Feter does not believe in Alexander Nübel’s future with the record champions. The 26-year-old does not have the top level that Munich needs:
“He has athletic deficits and still some weaknesses in area defense. He is very reserved, especially with flat balls that fly through the six-yard box. In addition, he always has slapstick actions with him. He has none this season made clear mistakes, but again and again actions in which he has a share and which led to goals being conceded. All in all, that’s too many mistakes if you want to be in goal at Bayern.”
For the goalkeeping expert it is therefore clear that the Munich team has to make an effort to get Gregor Kobel from Borussia Dortmund. As the “Kicker” reported a week ago, the Swiss should be a future candidate for the Neuer successor.
CEO Oliver Kahn is currently surprised by these rumors. He thinks it is much more legitimate that Nübel “wants to come back to Munich provided there is playing time”.
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