Manuel Neuer: "Nobody needs to worry about our stability "

Preparations for the European Championship in France are unusually normal for Manuel Neuer. Unlike in 2012 and 2014, the World Goalkeeper of the Year goes into the tournament fully fit and without any delay. In an interview with DFB.de, Neuer discusses the training camp in Ascona, his work with the goalkeeping team and Sunday’s opener against Ukraine (21:00 CEST) in Lille.

DFB.de: Mr Neuer, unfortunately we start with some bad news following Antonio Rüdiger’s injury. How did the team cope with the news?

Manuel Neuer: More than anything, it’s a huge disappointment for Toni. I feel really bad for him. He worked really hard in Ascona, he was working at a high level. And I know how much he was looking forward to the tournament. I hope that he can bounce back quickly from the setback and I wish him a speedy recovery. He his still young and has plenty of tournaments ahead of him.

DFB.de: Rüdiger has featured in the starting XI regularly in recent months. Has his injury affected the stability at the back?

Manuel Neuer: No. You only need to take a look at the players we have in the squad. In Jonathan Tah we have another centre back who has shown that he can perform at a high level. I don’t know how what the manager has planned and I also don’t know what the status is with Mats Hummels. But one thing is certain – we have enough quality and experience in the squad. Nobody needs to worry about the stability of the squad. We still have a few more training sessions before the first game, so we have time to try out different things.

DFB.de: It all begins on Sunday when Die Mannschaft with the first game against Ukraine in Lille. Four days to go. Mesut Özil recently said that time seems to be going slower as the tournament approaches. Do you feel the same?

Manuel Neuer: I understand what he means, yes. But is also depends on each player’s situation. Before the World Cup in Brazil, for example, I had problems with my shoulder. So for me I had treatment with the physios and doctors every day, which took up some time. But otherwise it definitely can seem like the days don’t seem to want to pass. We have training regularly, but we cannot train the whole day!

DFB.de: What do you do to take your mind off the football?

Manuel Neuer: Different things. I like to talk with my team mates a lot. I also try to speak to members of DFB staff, as well as the media team (laughs).

DFB.de: During the Euros in Poland and Ukraine four years ago, you started learning to play guitar. How did that go? Do you still play?

Manuel Neuer: No.

DFB.de: Why not?

Manuel Neuer: It didn’t bring us any luck, we went out to Italy so I decided to forget about the guitar! Though that’s just an excuse (laughs). It’s not an easy instrument and if you want to learn it properly, you need to be disciplined. If you don’t practice daily, you don’t make any progress. I didn’t stick and it and some point just stopped. It’s a shame.

DFB.de:Compared to previous years, your EURO 2016 preparations have been more ordinary. You were injured in 2014 and joined up late with the squad after the Champions League final in 2012. You’ve been fit and with the team from the start this time.

Neuer: That’s not a disadvantage. Although Bayern obviously would have liked to have played in the Champions League final this year. However, I can see the advantages. It’s good to have almost the entire squad together from the beginning. You can observe and see how the individual players act. And you could intervene, if things go wrong. However, this wasn’t and I also don’t believe it will be necessary. Nevertheless, it is positive when the leading players can offer their experience and opinion from the first day.

DFB.de:You are one of the players, who will always play. For Bayern, you’ve only missed games under exceptional circumstances. You didn’t feature in the international friendly against Slovakia. How difficult was that?

Neuer:It’s important that both Berndand Marcget game time in order to get a feeling for the team. That can be crucial. I’m not invincible so it’s even better that the others can get a bit of match practice with the team.

DFB.de: What do you make of working with the other goalkeepers and under Andreas Kopek?

Neuer:I’ve previously worked with both Bernd and Marc but never at the same time. It’s been great fun so far. The goalkeepers are a team within the team. It’s important that we have a trusting and harmonious relationship and respect one another – that’s a given. We can benefit from each other in terms of strengths and qualities. We’re not so vain that we wouldn’t accept tips or help from each other. There are always small pointers that people can take on board.

DFB.de:We saw how you followed the Champions League final. Is our impression correct that you were keeping a close eye on how both goalkeepers played?

Neuer: Yes, that’s true. That’s always the case. I remember that I previously watched the programme Eurogoals. Everyone paid attention to the goals and the goal scorers – not me. First of all, I looked at the keepers and what they did. Then I considered whether and how the goal could have been prevented.

DFB.de: In the penalty shootout between Real and Atletico, you correctly predicted in which direction the keepers would move.

Neuer:That’s part of our homework. At this high level, goalkeepers need to know which corners the takers prefer to aim for. Therefore, I’m able to say with a high degree of certainty which way the keeper will go. The battle is not necessarily won even with this knowledge though. Ultimately, the penalty takers know that we’re aware of where they’re likely to place their shot. They could therefore choose a different corner but know that we might predict this change. This is all theory. Under the pressure, some players just stick with their preferred side. As a goalkeeper, we should never bank upon the statistics but our own intuition. Even if I know that the taker has put their penalty to the left nine times out of ten, I’ll dive to my right if I get a gut feeling.

DFB.de:Have you already done your homework on Ukraine?

Neuer:We’re in the process of getting ready. Our scouts and analysts have already provided me with information and will continue to do so. As I said, there are still a few days to go so we’ll keep receiving details. However, I’m not a huge fan of being overloaded with information. I’ll be told all the things that I need to know and leave everything else to one side. Otherwise it would only disrupt my concentration.

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