Matthäus: "Neuer is not Neuer anymore. He is no longer the backbone of Bayern"

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Lothar Matthäus has criticized the performance of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the Champions League match against Barcelona, which ended in a 1-4 defeat.

"I don’t want to offend Manuel, but he is not the pillar of the team that he once was. Manuel Neuer is not the Neuer we used to know. His play in goal has changed. Previously, he anticipated every situation, had a clear view of everything around him, and could initiate attacks with his first pass. At present, he does not provide the reliability needed in defense. This is corroborated by Bundesliga statistics: he has saved just over 40% of shots on target.

I hope he returns to his previous level of performance soon and plays with confidence again. In the past, he would have saved one or two out of four goal-scoring attempts from Barcelona. The second goal from Barcelona is a good example: Manuel hesitated, came off his line, and was unable to do anything," Matthäus told Bild.

Bayern currently sits in 24th place in the overall Champions League standings, having earned three points.