Has the time come for Bayern Munich to move on from Manuel Neuer?

Manuel Neuer has struggled at Bayern Munich this season. With that in mind, has the time come to move on?

In the United States, Joe Biden stepped down in the middle of a hotly contested election to make room for Kamala Harris. Biden’s decision was admirable but could still cost the Democrats the election.

Meanwhile, in Canada, an embattled Justin Trudeau is hanging on to power, trying to survive, while Liberal MPs question his leadership abilities. According to some polls, the Liberals are trailing the Conservatives by 12 points, yet Trudeau is clinging to the Primer Ministership, prolonging the inevitable.

The issue with power politicians, no matter the party, is always the same. People running for high office are geared for just one thing: gaining the highest office and, once obtained, keeping it.

You can say the same about elite athletes. Like politicians in crucial positions, athletes often have a hard time finding the right moment to let go, even if the statistics underline that it is time to make way for a new generation.

This ultimately brings us to Manuel Neuer and Bayern Munich. Increasingly, there is evidence that the 38-year-old is past his prime. This was perhaps most evidence in Bayern’s defensive horror show against Barcelona last week.

Make no mistake, sweeper-keeper Neuer’s risky play always had the potential for comical error. That’s just part of his overly aggressive playing style. The problem is, with age, those errors become more frequent and, sadly, also more comical.

This week Sport Bild released data on Neuer that was more catastrophic than Biden’s polling data in August. While from 2012 to 2017 Neuer’s save percentage averaged 79.8%, the goalkeeper has seen significant decline ever since.