In Germany’s goalkeeping succession, a position held for so long by Manuel Neuer has become unsettled in the opening weeks of Jürgen Klopp’s national-team tenure. Marc-André ter Stegen, the Barcelona goalkeeper currently on loan at Ajax, has started only one of the four matches played under the new coach, despite being described by Klopp as Germany’s leading option.
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Oliver Kahn believes the distribution of minutes has not served ter Stegen well. The former Germany captain, now 57 and an 86-cap international, said Klopp’s handling of the position had been “a little unfortunate”.
Ter Stegen played in the 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, Germany’s first match under Klopp. Alexander Nübel, the 30-year-old now with Turkish club Beşiktaş, took over for the 1-0 defeat to Greece.
Jan Urbig, 23, then started the 2-0 victory against Serbia and the subsequent goalless draw with Greece. Although Urbig is not a regular starter at Bayern Munich, he completed 180 minutes without conceding during those two internationals.
Kahn argued that the games should have gone to ter Stegen if Germany’s coach sees him as his first-choice goalkeeper. “If a player needed match time, I would have gladly given it to the man Klopp considers number one, Marc ter Stegen,” he said. “For me, that would have been the more logical decision.”
The former Bayern goalkeeper also challenged the broader principle behind the selection. “I do not believe the national side exists to provide minutes for players,” Kahn said.
A new contest after Neuer
Klopp’s early rotation has created open competition across his squad, and nowhere is the change more visible than in goal. Neuer’s retirement from international football at the age of 40 ended a 15-year era in which the Bayern Munich veteran made the shirt his own.
For ter Stegen, now 34 and capped 45 times by Germany, this was expected to be the long-awaited opening. Instead, during the present international window, the goalkeeper who spent years as Neuer’s deputy has been asked to wait again.
Germany’s four fixtures under Klopp have produced one draw for ter Stegen, a defeat with Nübel in goal, then a win and draw for Urbig. Kahn’s view is clear: with the hierarchy now being defined, ter Stegen should have been given the stronger claim to establish himself.
