German veteran Neuer continues to command Bayern’s goal, despite the club having signed Urbig as his long-term successor. The 39-year-old, who recently reached 100 Champions League victories, remains in exceptional form and has played every major fixture this season. Kompany has repeatedly highlighted the veteran’s calmness, saying: “This mixture of 100 percent focus and yet still being completely relaxed. You can’t easily achieve that in your career, but at some point, it’s the sunshine you live in, and that’s the case with Manu at the moment. For me, Manu has zero pressure in any of his games. You can feel that in his life and on the pitch, too, that he’s under no pressure, that he still has something to prove.”
Young goalkeeper Urbig was brought in with assurances of around 10 appearances this season to ease the transition beyond Neuer. So far, his only outing has been in the DFB-Pokal against Wiesbaden in August, when Neuer was suspended. According to Bild Bayern internally discussed handing Urbig at least one start before his expected return in the next cup tie, yet no league opportunities have arrived. Kompany payed special attention to Urbig in training on Thursday, the report adds, and had talks with Urbig, fellow reserve backup stopper Sven Ulreich, and his goalkeeper coaches.
Kompany is under pressure to deliver results after six straight wins, and he is reluctant to disrupt momentum with a goalkeeper switch. Asked about Urbig, the Bayern coach said: “It’s important that they know that we have a lot of confidence in Jonas Urbig, that we also believe in his future. But right now, I want to win the game against Hoffenheim! And these other topics will come up at some point, but I don’t think this is the moment for them yet.” His comments underline the difficulty of managing transition while maintaining Bayern’s perfect start to the season.
Bayern’s defensive crisis also weighs heavily on Kompany’s mind, Josip Stanisic is sidelined with a knee ligament injury, leaving the squad without a natural left-back. That has pushed Kompany to prioritise stability in other areas, including keeping Neuer in goal. With high-profile fixtures stacking up, the coach is unwilling to risk a disruptive change, especially given the demands of the Bundesliga and Champions League schedule.
Bayern travel to Hoffenheim this weekend looking to extend their flawless start to the Bundesliga campaign. Neuer is expected to start once again, but all eyes will remain on when Urbig is finally given the minutes he was promised. The issue is likely to resurface in the DFB-Pokal later this month, but Kompany’s longer-term challenge will be phasing in Neuer’s successor without unsettling Bayern’s pursuit of silverware.
