Speaking after Bayern Munich’s 3-2 win at Hertha Berlin, Manuel Neuer discussed his return to the starting XI after missing the Rekordmeister’s last eight games because of a shoulder injury.
“I’m happy to be back,” said Neuer. “I would’ve been happy with a clean sheet, but of course this was a bit more fun for the fans. I was back in the zone relatively early because I was involved in the game very early on. I was straight back into the furnace. It’s more boring when you have nothing to do and then you have to spring into action at some point in the second half.
“The goal we conceded to make it 3-1 was completely unnecessary. It was similar to the one against Dortmund. We didn’t have our man-to-man marking, even though we were numerically superior in the box. If we defend that, we could’ve kept a clean sheet. But that’s how it goes in football.”
Neuer’s return to the starting XI gives Hansi Flick a huge boost ahead of the World Cup. Germany start their tournament on November 23 against a strong Japan side, seven of which play in the Bundesliga.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
