Bayern Munich react to Manuel Neuer’s glaring errors and four disallowed goals against Augsburg

Bayern Munich react to Manuel Neuer’s glaring errors and four disallowed goals against Augsburg Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany has defended Manuel Neuer following the veteran goalkeeper’s error-strewn performance in Saturday afternoon’s 2-2 Bundesliga draw against FC Augsburg. The 40-year-old played an unfortunate role in both goals conceded by the German record champions, but Kompany and sporting director Max Eberl remain confident that Neuer can put the disappointing afternoon behind him. Neuer’s first mistake came just eight seconds after kickoff. Having received a back-pass from Luis Díaz, the Bayern captain took an excessively heavy touch before attempting a hurried clearance. The ball struck Augsburg midfielder Robin Fellhauer in the back, allowing the 28-year-old to score into an empty net. The goal established a new Bundesliga record , eclipsing the nine-second benchmark previously shared by Karim Bellarabi and Kevin Volland. Neuer was involved again when Augsburg restored their lead in the 64th minute. The goalkeeper could only parry Calvin Brackelmann’s effort into the path of Rodrigo Ribeiro, who converted the rebound. Speaking to Sky Germany after the match, Eberl acknowledged Neuer’s responsibility for the opening goal but suggested that the second involved failures elsewhere in Bayern’s defensive structure. “He didn’t control the ball properly, then tried to resolve the situation and took too much of a risk,” Eberl explained. “With the first goal, there’s nothing to discuss. But with the second, other players were involved as well, not just Manu.” Vincent Kompany: “These are normal people” Kompany offered a similarly candid assessment in his post-match interview with DAZN , referring to two enormous individual mistakes that had ultimately cost Bayern points. “We didn’t do that much wrong,” the Belgian coach explained. “In the end, two enormous mistakes can decide a result. But these things happen in life. They’re normal people who don’t always get everything right.” The Bayern trainer was subsequently asked about Neuer’s future during the post-match press conference. His response was unequivocal. “I know what it’s like to be a player and these things happen,” Kompany explained. “One can’t sugarcoat this. If it was a 20-year-old goalkeeper, then you have some thinking to do as a coach. But Manuel is as old as I am. He knows how to handle this. The game is over. It’s the next minute that counts.” The comments come at an interesting juncture in Bayern’s goalkeeping succession planning. Neuer has already indicated that the current campaign could be his last as a professional , while 23-year-old Jonas Urbig continues to establish himself as Bayern’s designated long-term successor . Max Eberl points to Bayern’s missed opportunities Neuer’s mistakes were far from the only reason Bayern left Augsburg with just one point. The visitors generated an expected-goals figure approaching five and repeatedly threatened Augsburg’s goal. However, four Bayern efforts were disallowed for offside, leaving only Ismael Saibari’s 55th-minute equaliser and substitute Nathaniel Brown’s 81st-minute strike on the scoresheet. “I’m not exactly the biggest fan of expected-goal statistics,” Eberl told Sky Germany . “But, as we reached a number nearing five, that means we had our chances.” Kompany also addressed the four disallowed goals during his press conference, even complimenting Augsburg coach Manuel Baum on his team’s defensive organisation. “And your lads held a good line,” Kompany remarked directly to his opposite number. “Offside is offside,” the Bayern coach continued. “It was one of those days. Everything was about millimetres and details. We were also at fault in several situations. As [Baum] already said, it was a nice game for the spectators. I think that’s true for our travelling supporters as well. They got to celebrate six times, even if only two goals counted.” The defending Bundesliga champions must now regroup ahead of Tuesday evening’s Champions League trip to Viking Stavanger, followed by Saturday’s league meeting with RB Leipzig. For Neuer, the coming fixtures provide an immediate opportunity to demonstrate the resilience that his coach believes will allow him to recover from one of the more difficult afternoons of his distinguished career. GGFN  |  Peter Weis