Bayern Munich, which originally did not plan to trade players in this winter window, had to change its mind because Neuer suffered a fracture of his right calf while skiing on vacation. Considering that the third-line battle will continue in the second half, it is obviously too risky to rely only on the second goalkeeper Ulreich and the 19-year-old third goalkeeper Schenck, so it is imperative to sign an experienced goalkeeper immediately. . Although the immediate recall of loan goalkeeper Nibel from Monaco is the priority, judging from the current situation, it is not as easy to get things done as imagined. Therefore, Croatian national goalkeeper Livakovic, who performed well in the World Cup, became involved with Bayern as many fans expected.

The process of Neuer’s injury

After a weekend of fermentation, questions such as how Neuer was injured and whether he violated team rules for engaging in high-risk sports have all been answered. Preliminary answer from German media. On Friday morning, Neuer and his companions were mountaineering and skiing near the Spitzing Lake area in southern Bavaria. The accident occurred while sliding down the mountain. Neuer fell on a steep slope, not far from Ross Mountain (1,580 meters above sea level), at an altitude of more than 1,400 meters (picture below).

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According to information provided by the avalanche warning service, the snow depth at the time of the incident was only 11 centimeters, which was not deep enough for off-pipe skiing. But mountain guide Sebastian Brandhofer said: "You can't say Neuer's behavior is absolutely crazy, because there are thousands of others who have done the same thing. The deeper the snow, the more dangerous it is." The smaller it is. When there is less snow, there is a risk of hitting rocks or tree roots. "Like Neuer, most people (about 2/3) who are injured during mountaineering and skiing. An accident occurred while taxiing down the mountain. But there is no data showing that ski mountaineering causes more accidents than skiing on the slopes.

After Neuer was injured, the group immediately called for help. Neuer boarded the emergency helicopter at 12:29 and flew to the Employers' Liability Insurance Association Trauma Surgery Hospital Murnau (BG Unfallklinik Murnau) about 15 minutes later, which is one of the largest national trauma centers in southern Germany. One, especially the level of polytrauma treatment is second to none in Germany. Neuer immediately underwent surgery on his right calf in the afternoon. The surgeon was Johannes Gabel (pictured below). He is the chief physician for foot surgery and ankle surgery at the hospital and has also performed surgery on some star winter sports athletes. Operation.

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During the operation, the doctor used intramedullary nails and screws to fix the tibia and fibula of Neuer's right leg. Normally, the nails are removed after a year and a half, but Neuer is likely to wait until he hangs up his boots to avoid further surgery and to give the injured bone better support. This injury and surgery means Neuer will be out for this season. Usually, after a calf fracture, you have to be sidelined for half a year. If all goes well, Neuer can fully participate in the preparations before the new season and start the 2023/24 season in mid-August next year (the first round of the German Cup and the German Super Cup will be held from August 11 to 14. The Bundesliga will resume on August 18th.

Another major question is: Why can Neuer engage in such a dangerous sport as mountaineering and skiing on vacation? The player contract template provided by the German Football League (DFL) does not clearly prohibit players from participating in high-risk sports. However, in the contracts signed between many professional clubs and players, there are express provisions prohibiting participation in high-risk sports, or requiring club approval before participation. Which sports are "high-risk" will be listed in detail, and Bayern is no exception. As far as I know, Ajax, the top team in the Eredivisie, stipulates that players can go on skiing vacations with their families, but they cannot ski themselves.

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Neuer has always liked skiing.

However, there is currently no evidence that mountaineering and skiing are high-risk sports that Bayern prohibits players from participating in. Judging from the statements of Bayern's top management, Neuer is not suspected of violating the rules. In fact, players like Lahm and Schweinsteiger often went skiing during their time at Bayern. But after this accident, Bayern must reconsider being more strict in this area of ??management to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.

Recalling Nibel is "extremely difficult"

Now that the accident has happened, the important thing is to make up for it. Bayern must take immediate action to make up for the competitive losses caused by Neuer's serious injury. Fortunately among the misfortunes, we are currently in the winter break and can still solve the problem through signings. As soon as the news of Neuer's serious injury came out, the outside world immediately thought of the option of immediately withdrawing Nibel. Since Nibel is originally a Bayern player, it makes sense to bring him back. The problem is that the original agreement with Monaco did not include the option to recall him early in this winter window. However, French "L'Equipe" revealed that there are additional clauses in the contract that allow Bayern to spend money to redeem Nibel in advance in the winter.

"Kicker" described Bayern's recall of Nibel in the winter as "extremely difficult at present." Convincing Monaco to release him is only one of the difficulties. The second difficulty is convincing Nibel to return.

And it is more difficult to convince Nibel than to convince Monaco. Because Nibel had expressed his unwillingness to be a substitute for Neuer many times early on. He said in early May this year: "If Manu (Neuel) is still there, I will definitely not go back. I will never go back." Will do that, I can rule that out." Even though Neuer will miss the rest of the season, that doesn't mean he won't come back. Even if Nibel can return in the winter and become the main force immediately, what will happen after Neuer returns from injury?

A player is not a commodity, he has feelings. "Kicker" revealed that Nibel believed that he did not receive enough attention from Bayern. During his loan to Monaco, goalkeeper coach Tapalovic rarely contacted him, and Nagelsmann did not interfere. Only sports director Salihamidzic went to Monaco to meet with him and wanted to discuss it. Contract renewal matters.

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It does not seem that easy to persuade Nibel to come back and do things with Tapalovic and Neuer.

As we all know, Tapalovic, who was a teammate of Neuer at Schalke 04, is Neuer's "royal coach", and the two can even be regarded as partners. . Therefore, it is entirely conceivable that Tapalovich had a cold attitude toward Nibel. Moreover, Bayern signed Ulreich back last summer (so that Nibel, who did not want to continue to sit on the bench, could be loaned out), which was the idea shared by Neuer and Tapalovic. You can definitely think that Ulreich, who gets along well with Neuer, is also in the same camp as Neuer and Tapalovic. So even if he comes back now, Nibel may not be able to beat Ulreich to win the main position. What's more, Ulreich just renewed his contract until 2024 a month ago. Regarding his position at Bayern, he is obviously still the first substitute after Neuer. When asked by "Kicker" for confirmation, Bayern Chairman of the Board of Directors Kahn emphasized that he would handle the current situation calmly, while also emphasizing his trust in Ulreich.

When Nibel was willing to join Bayern, a key factor was that Salihamidzic promised him a certain amount of playing time every season. It is said that it was 10 to 15 games in the first season and 10 to 15 games in the second season. It was increased to 12 to 18 games. However, this promise was not fulfilled at all because the then coach Flick did not agree and Neuer refused to be "comity". In the 2020/21 season, Nibel only played a total of 4 times in the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League. Since the original promise was easily voided, even if Sally vows to make an alliance again, Nibel's side may not be moved, unless Nagelsmann promises that he will immediately get the main position, and the top management gives him a more guaranteed long-term commitment. All in all, Nibel's idea of ??returning to Bayern immediately and handing over the team in advance is not so easy to realize.

Considering Navas or Livakovic?

If Nibel cannot return, Bayern must hire someone else. Currently, there are two specific candidates in the media, one is the Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, and the other is "The popular fried chicken" Livakovic.

Judging from his resume, Navas, who helped Real Madrid achieve three consecutive Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018 as the main goalkeeper, is undoubtedly an excellent candidate. The 35-year-old "Nadu Wall" has been squeezed onto the bench in Paris by Italian international goalkeeper Donnarumma this season. He has made zero appearances in all competitions so far. At the beginning of the season, there were rumors that he would terminate his contract and move to Serie A for development. After a long absence, Navas performed unsatisfactorily in the World Cup, conceding 11 goals against Spain and Germany. However, with his experience and strength, as long as he can play consecutive games again, he is still expected to quickly adjust his condition, especially to provide important protection in the Champions League knockout rounds.

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Bayern can certainly imagine using Navas to temporarily replace Neuer, but is Paris willing?

According to past experience, Bayern has repeatedly tried to rent out star substitutes from other giants. It is completely conceivable that this method will be used to solve the urgent need this time. But the problem is that Bayern will encounter Paris in two months. It would be too stupid for Paris to directly support the enemy. Of course, it is not ruled out that Paris is willing to loan Navas to Bayern, but will include an avoidance clause. But if Navas cannot play the two rounds of the Champions League 1/8 finals, the significance of this deal for Bayern will be greatly reduced.

Compared to Navas, the 27-year-old Livakovic is in good condition. In the World Cup quarter-finals with Brazil, he cheated right under Kahn's nose. He completed a World Cup record-breaking 11 successful saves in 120 minutes. He also saved Rodrigo's shot in the penalty shootout and became Croatia's explosive The biggest contributor to Leng's promotion to the semi-finals. In the previous round of 1/8 finals where Japan was eliminated, the Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper also saved 3 penalty kicks in the penalty shootout. Although Kahn did not go to watch the match between Croatia and Brazil to examine Livakovic, the performance of the "Zadar Octopus" (Note: Livakovic was born in Zadar) will definitely give the former "World One Door" leaves a very positive impression.

It is not difficult to sign players from Dinamo Zagreb, as long as the price is negotiated. However, Livakovic's style is not "modern" enough and is too different from Neuer's, and does not seem to meet Bayern's tactical requirements. And before the World Cup, his condition was actually not ideal.

So far this season, he has played 28 times for Dinamo Zagreb, with only 4 clean sheets and conceding as many as 35 goals, including 11 goals in 6 Champions League group matches. As a result, his worth has dropped from as high as 15 million euros in May last year to only 8.5 million today. If Bayern really wants to pursue Livakovic's idea, it may be safer to rent and then buy.

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Both Livakovic and Gvadiol, who performed well in the World Cup, have scandals with Bayern.

In addition to Livakovic, another Croatian international who performed well in the World Cup - Gvadiol, who plays for Leipzig RB, is also related to Bayern. After all, he is only 20 years old. The left-footed defender is similar to Lucas Hernandez, who has a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, both in terms of style of play and position on the field (he is mainly a left center defender, but can also serve as a left back). However, "Sky Sports" Bayern and team reporter Plettenberg quickly pointed out that Bayern has not contacted Gvadiol or his agent, and there are no arrangements for contact.

As early as the beginning of this season, Gvadiol had been rumored to have affairs with Manchester City and Chelsea. It was widely rumored that the two Premier League powers were willing to offer offers of up to 90 million euros. But later Leipzig extended the contract with Gvadiol until 2027 with a salary increase, and there was no termination clause in the contract. Similar to Livakovic, Gvadiol actually did not perform well at the club this season, but he was extremely brave in the World Cup and suddenly became a hot commodity in the transfer market. He is currently worth 60 million euros.