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Philipp Lahm has been a part of Bayern Munich for over 15 years and knows the club better than anyone. He has witnessed both highs and lows at the club; he has been through everything and knows, better than anyone, that the club is capable of rising up above all problems. Although the German Champions are in the middle of one of their worst seasons in recent memory, Lahm is not ready to dismiss the Bavarians yet, striking a confident note in an interview with Bild (via TZ):
I think you have to look forward. Nothing has happened yet. They’ve now had a weaker phase. FC Bayern has always found solutions and I’m confident that they’ll be back on top again in the end.
Lahm also defended his former teammate Manuel Neuer against criticism of his performances since Germany’s 2018 World Cup match against South Korea. Neuer missed over eight months due to injury and, according to Lahm, it is only natural that he should make a few mistakes after not playing for so long:
Manu was great in goal. For me, he is untouchable. It’s totally normal for a player to make one or two mistakes after being injured for several months. But when you see Manu in goal and see his attitude, you see that he’s an absolute top player, who has his eye on the whole picture.
Hugo Lloris, incidentally, agreed with Lahm on the unwarranted criticism faced by Neuer. The Spurs goalkeeper, who also stood in goal for France this past Saturday, thinks that people have forgotten what Neuer has done for club and country too soon:
Measured against everything that he has contributed to Bayern and Germany, this discussion isn’t fair. It isn’t easy when you haven’t played football for almost a year. He’s still on a fantastic level and a great goalkeeper.
The time has come for Manuel Neuer and his boys to prove Lahm right.