Neuer sidelined with foot issue, Urbig to start in goal for Bayern

Three days after two mistakes that are nothing like him, Manuel Neuer will not be between the posts. Bayern Munich visits Viking this Tuesday in the Champions League, and will do so with Jonas Urbig in goal instead of its longtime captain.

The news was confirmed by head coach Vincent Kompany himself, and it has nothing to do with a benching or a loss of confidence. It comes down to something much simpler: a foot issue Neuer has been carrying since the 2-2 draw against Augsburg, the same match in which the German made two uncharacteristic errors.

Kompany was direct in explaining why the 40-year-old goalkeeper is left out of the squad for the match in Stavanger.

Manuel can't train today. He felt something in his foot. That answers pretty quickly who's going to be in goal tomorrow. We found out after the Augsburg game that he'd felt something. You never know how long these things take, but since he couldn't train yesterday or today, there's no point taking unnecessary risks.Vincent Kompany

The Belgian coach avoided dramatizing things with the word "injury," but he was clear about the approach the coaching staff takes when a player isn't feeling one hundred percent.

I don't want to call it an injury, but when you feel something and it's not improving, at some point you realize you have to do something about it. And we'll do that without taking any risks if he's not feeling one hundred percent.Vincent Kompany

So the responsibility falls once again on Urbig, 23, who joined Bayern from Cologne last season and is already being talked about as Neuer's natural successor. This will be his third start of the season, and it comes with the momentum of a recent debut for the German national team in a 2-0 win over Serbia.

A plan laid out from the start

For Kompany, there is nothing improvised about the young goalkeeper's progression. As he explained, the process with Urbig began the moment he signed for the club.

We started our process with Jonas when he arrived from Cologne. We're right on schedule. He's getting the minutes we wanted to give him for his development. And every minute is good for his development.Vincent Kompany

Bayern arrives at this match riding the momentum of a dominant Champions League start: a 5-0 win over Bodo/Glimt, Viking's fellow Norwegian side, in the opening matchday. Now it's time to adjust to a different setting, one with artificial turf in Stavanger, something that doesn't seem to concern Kompany much.

It's not a big problem for us. We arrived early to do the proper preparation. Tomorrow it's all about football.Vincent Kompany

The Bavarian coach also won't be able to count on Jamal Musiala, still out with a thigh injury. Between absences and forced rotations, Bayern will look to sustain its strong European start with a different goalkeeper than usual, but with a plan that, according to Kompany, has been followed to the letter for some time now.