Bayern Munich could only muster a 0-0 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach during the weekend. This has been one of the few blemishes that they have suffered so far this season. This was, however, a point well earned given that Mönchengladbach had a good run of form coming into the match. They were second in the table and are proving to be the only title contenders along with Bayern Munich. A win for Bayern would have completely destroyed the title race even at this early stage in the season. Mönchengladbach’s inability to get a victory was primarily because of the efforts of Manuel Neuer.
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper is widely regarded as one of the best and he received a lot of praise from manager Pep Guardiola after this match. Mönchengladbach had several good opportunities in the 90 minutes including two one-on-one opportunities with the goalkeeper. However, the German international who helped Germany win the World Cup in the summer worked his magic and kept many of the shots out. The result sees Mönchengladbach remain four points behind Bayern. Wolfsburg, who also appear in contention for the title, managed to take advantage of this dropped points for Bayern by getting a victory against Mainz.
“In the first half we controlled the game very well. In the second half we were a little tired, we lost a bit of our organisation and had to play more on the counter-attack. I am very happy with our play and the point. Without Neuer they should have [scored] one or two goals,” said Guardiola. Neuer says that despite a poor pre-season due to the World Cup, he feels that he is in good shape. “I’ve been playing well in recent weeks. The only mistake I made was in the international game against Poland,” said the Bayern Munich goalkeeper.