Separation of Tapalović – Timo Hildebrand via FC Bayern: "Perhaps underestimates relationship with Neuer"

Bundesliga

It came like a bang when FC Bayern announced the separation from goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalović late on Monday evening. The coach, whom Manuel Neuer brought to Munich from Schalke in 2011 and who encouraged the 36-year-old to do his best, suddenly has to go.

“Everyone, not just in Munich, knows that all this success would never have been possible without you,” writes Manuel Neuer to Tapalović on Instagram about the 11.5 years together in Munich. Neuer describes his ex-coach as a “pioneer of modern goalkeeping”. Together they would have shaped an era. Now it’s over.

This news illustrates how closely Neuer and Tapalović worked together. They even vacationed together. Tapalović is said to have had the good relationship primarily with Neuer. There are said to have been tensions with coach Julian Nagelsmann, as well as with Alexander Nübel, who was loaned to Monaco – that’s why Tapalović is gone and Neuer will have to adapt to a new goalkeeping coach.

The relationship between the two was unique. A quote from Tapalović suggests this. The 42-year-old once said about his philosophy in Munich: “I’m trying to build the same trust that I have in Manu with the other goalkeepers. It has to be a friendship somehow.” In the case of Nübel, however, Tapalović probably didn’t manage to establish a special relationship.

Timo Hildebrand played seven times for the German national team, appearing for Stuttgart, Schalke and Frankfurt, among others.Image: www.imago-images.de / imago images

Timo Hildebrand also confirmed to watson that a good relationship between the goalkeeping coach and his protégé is important. The former national goalkeeper says that a good relationship is “elementary”: “Without my goalkeeping coach in Stuttgart, I would never have matured into what I became in Stuttgart.”

Hildebrand was German champion with VfB in the 2006/2007 season and completed seven international matches for Germany.

Goalkeeping coach as a special sponsor

Both goalkeepers and head coaches are responsible for the players in the team. However, the goalkeeper coach differs from the boss in one important point: he usually only has to look after the three goalkeepers and does not have to concentrate on the squad with more than 20 players. “As a result, he can look after the goalkeepers individually, support them, respond to their needs and work out goalkeeper-specific things together,” explains Hildebrand.

At the same time, the 43-year-old points out that a goalkeeper coach can also influence the goalkeeper’s performance. Hildebrand substantiates this statement with an example from his career: “My goalkeeping coach in Stuttgart, Eberhard Trautner, was only responsible for the second team under Giovanni Trapattoni. Trapattoni has brought his own goalkeeping coach, who relies heavily on the Italian school. This is very different. I couldn’t handle it.”

As a result, his performance suffered as viewers complained that he would not perform. However, no one knew from the outside that he did not represent the same philosophy as his goalkeeping coach.

This example shows that the new choice of goalkeeping coach in Munich should be well thought out if Neuer is to be in top form again after his injury. This includes good training that is tailored to the needs of the goalkeeper. “If you train well, you have the opportunity to play better. If you train badly, that’s not the case. That’s why it’s very important that the goalkeeping coach works together with the goalkeeper and not against each other,” Hildebrand said.

He also warns the German record champions: “Perhaps FC Bayern underestimates the relationship between Tapalović and Neuer.”

Hildebrand experienced a prime example of a good relationship between goalkeeping coach and goalkeeper in the national team. In 2004, Oliver Kahn was the number one goalkeeper at the European Championships and worked with Sepp Maier both in the DFB team and at FC Bayern.

Hildebrand compares the Kahn/Maier duo with Neuer/Tapalović: “I was allowed to take part in their training at the 2004 European Championship. They were a well-rehearsed team. Every goalkeeper and every goalkeeping coach has their own philosophy – you have to find a combination that works well.”

Tom Starke is currently goalkeeper coordinator in Bayern-NLZ. Tim Hildebrand could imagine him as Tapalović’s successor.Image: www.imago-images.de / imago images

Whether FC Bayern can do it again is still open. Hildebrand is also “excited to see who will take over. Whether Tom Starke will take over or even a completely different goalkeeping coach.” Starke will take over Tapalović’s job on an interim basis for the game against Cologne on Tuesday evening.

However, Hildebrand is quite sure about the qualities of Manuel Neuer even after his lower leg injury. The current international goalkeeper is expected to be back in goal in the new season. Hildebrand is certain: “I trust him to reach his world-class level again. He’s been injured a number of times. That’s why he’ll get to this level even when he’s older, because he’s an exceptional athlete.”