{"id":568074,"date":"2020-10-03T05:44:41","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T09:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=568074"},"modified":"2020-10-03T05:44:41","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T09:44:41","slug":"alexander-nubel-yet-to-make-the-bench-at-bayern-munich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/10\/03\/alexander-nubel-yet-to-make-the-bench-at-bayern-munich\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexander N\u00fcbel Yet to Make the Bench at Bayern Munich"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Schalke captain <\/span>Alexander <\/span>N\u00fcbel arrived at Bayern Munich<\/a> this summer after agreeing in January to leave <\/span>Die K\u00f6nigsblauen<\/span>. The transfer caused quite <\/span>a stir<\/span><\/a> as Manuel Neuer, whose contract was set to expire after the 2020\/21 season, had not yet signed an extension, while N\u00fcbel was yet another example of Bayern acquiring a Bundesliga starlet. The situation changed, however, as Neuer extended his contract, Bayern won the treble and Sven Ulreich remained the number two. N\u00fcbel is yet to make the bench, and his Bayern future is already in question.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alexander <\/b>N\u00fcbel is Yet to Make Bayern\u2019s Bench<\/b><\/h2>\n

The ‘Neuer’ Neuer\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Twenty-three-year-old <\/span>N\u00fcbel was essentially an unknown until 2019 when Schalke Manager Domenico Tedesco dropped starting goalkeeper Ralf F\u00e4hrmann in his favour. Incoming manager David Wagner not only kept N\u00fcbel as the number one but promoted the academy product to captain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Schalke, one of Germany\u2019s biggest clubs, were flying high in the table at the beginning of the 2019\/20 campaign, and N\u00fcbel was captain and attracting attention from all over Europe. His similar background and appearance to that of Manuel Neuer gained him the nickname <\/span>Neuer Neuer<\/span><\/i>, the \u201cnew Neuer.\u201d Transfer speculation immediately began, but it was <\/span>announced in January<\/span><\/a> that N\u00fcbel would be moving to Bayern in the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alexander N\u00fcbel\u2019s Decision to Join Bayern Met With Scepticism<\/h3>\n

The German media loudly questioned the move. The context of N\u00fcbel\u2019s transfer was much different than Neuer\u2019s in 2011. Neuer had made over 150 appearances for Schalke before moving to a Bayern side that was actively seeking a new keeper. N\u00fcbel has made just 46 senior appearances and comes to Bayern as a future Neuer replacement. Many experts questioned how Germany\u2019s supposed ‘future keeper’ could develop without playing regularly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamid\u017ei\u0107, who brought N\u00fcbel to <\/span>S\u00e4bener Stra\u00dfe<\/span>, reportedly had the answer: guaranteeing N\u00fcbel <\/span>15 appearances<\/span><\/a> a season in his contract. Neuer would play in the Bundesliga and Champions League, and N\u00fcbel would play in the DFB Pokal. This seemed plausible, as Neuer\u2019s form had depreciated over the past years, with many calling for Marc-Andre ter Stegen to replace him as Joachim L\u00f6w\u2019s number one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s <\/span>Rekordmeister <\/span>seemed to have the perfect goalkeeping succession plan in place. The 34-year-old Neuer would remain number one. N\u00fcbel, however, would get about 15 matches a year and learn from one of Germany\u2019s greatest ever keepers. After two or three seasons, Neuer would move on and be fully replaced by N\u00fcbel. The plan was reminiscent of Barcelona utilizing both ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo from 2014 to 2016.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Neuer Was Not Having It<\/h3>\n

Most plans work well on paper. Bayern, however, seemed to forget what makes Neuer such an amazing keeper: his outlandish confidence that often borders on arrogance. The world champion is not going to simply give up 15 matches to an inexperienced youngster. Neuer clearly felt disrespected by the club and was <\/span>reportedly<\/span><\/a> making unrealistic wage and contract length demands in retaliation. <\/span>In May<\/span><\/a>, however, the two parties came to an agreement that keeps Neuer at the <\/span>Allianz Arena<\/span><\/i> until 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alexander N\u00fcbel\u2019s Gamble Might Backfire<\/h3>\n

After the 34-year-old\u2019s performance in the Champions League, especially the final against Paris Saint-Germain<\/a>, no one was questioning Neuer’s form or age. Bayern manager Hansi-Flick publicly stated that Neuer is the only option in goal. Three games into the current campaign and N\u00fcbel has not made Bayern\u2019s bench. This includes the seemingly meaningless Supercup match against Borussia Dortmund.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bayern\u2019s Options Regarding Alexander N\u00fcbel<\/h3>\n

Bayern have two real options to remedy the current situation: sell Sven Ulreich or loan N\u00fcbel out. A move to Hertha Berlin for Ulreich was recently <\/span>ruled out<\/span><\/a>, and with the summer transfer window closing soon, a N\u00fcbel loan move looks to be the more realistic option. In May, Bayern legend <\/span>Sepp Maier argued<\/span><\/a> that the 23-year-old should be loaned back to Schalke because: \u201cHe has to play, he\u2019s too good for the bench.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The present situation requires N\u00fcbel to play second fiddle until Neuer retires. Maier continued, arguing that: \u201cIt could still be a few years before Neuer quits. Those would be wasted years for N\u00fcbel in my eyes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bayern Will Make a Decision on Alexander N\u00fcbel in the Coming Days<\/h3>\n

While not playing is clearly bad for N\u00fcbel, it also does Bayern no favours. Their Neuer succession plan hinges on the young keeper developing, and doing so requires playing matches. For N\u00fcbel himself, not playing regularly now could permanently stall his career. Bayern will make a decision in the coming days on whether Ulreich or N\u00fcbel leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>