Will Götze be the centre of an new era of Bayern Munich? Or is
a move away more likely?
During the 2012/13 season Mario Götze was arguably the most
in form player across Europe. With Shinji Kagawa departing to Man Utd it
allowed Götze to step in to the No.10 role, and he excelled.
Götze was the jewel in
Dortmund’s team, not only for what he offered the team in terms of his
playmaking, dribbling and scoring ability but also his connection with the
club. This was one of their own, progressed from the Academy and now a leading
figure in the first team. Klopp clearly loved him like a son and the whole of
Dortmund saw him this way, he was one of their own.
Dortmund would reach the Champions League final that season,
and were certainly one of the best teams we’ve seen in recent years. A
beautifully balanced, energetic and together unit working as one to execute
Klopp’s tactical plans to perfection. Who couldn’t love that Dortmund side and
their coach?
And then Dortmund were hit with the news that Bayern had
activated Götze’s release fee of £31.5m and that the player had agreed terms
with Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals. What a shock to Dortmund. Especially the
timing, coming in between the Champions League semi-finals.
Klopp, who builds such bonds with his players, admitted that
the decision "was like a heart attack. At our training ground Michael Zorc
walked in like somebody had died.”
The club was rocked by the announcement of their ‘jewel’
agreeing to join their rivals. It was a shock, an incredible situation which
took everyone by surprise. It had the potential to damage the clubs focus (the
timing was right before the club faced Madrid in the semi-finals). In fact it
inspired them to reach new heights and propel them to the final (which Gotze
was missing for). Yet it affected them in the coming seasons.
The pressure put on the young man, the wage increase as well
as the possibility to work with Guardiola. It was too much to resist. And yet
it just hasn’t worked out for the young German.
As Klopp said, "Bayern told Mario: 'It's now or never'. I told him
they will come next year. They will come in two years, and then three years.
But he is 20 and he thought: 'I must go'."
The impact of Götze’s decision destabilised Dortmund. Dortmund
not only lost their creative midfielder, they lost a piece of their
soul. He would score 19 goals that season. represented Dortmund like no other player, he was the
product of their academy, there since nine years old. He was Dortmund’s future,
the pillar on which they could grow and succeed. He was their Messi type
player, someone to revolve their style and team around. And yet he was tempted
away by the Bavarian giants. In fact I would argue that Götze was the best
young playmaker (modern version) in world football. To replace him was near impossible.
Dortmund were heavily affected by Götze’s absence. As Klopp
said, "I know how difficult it will be to find a player to replace Götze but, next year, we will play differently. It just takes time."
To replace Götze was not as easy as the others. Who else
could fill the emotional void that he left? And it showed. Lewandowski left the
year later and Klopp’s team had being ripped apart by their rivals.
Bayern actually wanted Neymar to be the key playmaking
talent. Yet they encountered difficulties in sorting out the transfer from
Santos. Guardiola was persuaded that Gotze would be the right kind of signing
for the Treble winners.
“We had a clear vision of what kind of player we wanted to
buy,” Rummenigge said. “We discussed that matter with Pep [at a meeting in
Zurich].
“Really, there were only two players of that quality of whom
we knew signing them was possible - Neymar and Mario Gotze.
“We then told Guardiola about our experiences with players
coming directly from South America.”
Rummenigge explained that the weather on the day of the
talks had been “a catastrophe”. He said: “I told Pep to look out of the window.
He asked: ‘Why’s that?’ And I answered: ‘Imagine a Brazilian departing from
home with temperatures of 30 degrees, and then he arrives here with temperatures
six below zero'.”
Rummenigge revealed that Bayern had also harboured concerns
about the language and cultural differences Neymar would have to confront,
saying: “That’s not too easy for a young player.”
And now, when you look at what Neymar has produced at Barca
and compare that to Gotze’s influence in the past three years, you see the
issue.
The idea was that Götze’s talent would help their plan to evolve the style of
the club. And they knew that they would make a big impact on their rivals, taking
the soul from their rivals. Evidently they sought both. But it was only destabilising Dortmund which would work out for Bayern.
For me it's still incredible that Götze chose to abandon his coach,
mentor, club and home. He chose their rivals, which was a bitter pill to
swallow. He chose money over family. Was it selfish or naïve? And as we’ve seen, he hasn’t looked settled at Bayern for
three years. He just doesn’t act or belong at Bayern. Maybe it´s just my
personal opinion, but it doesn´t seem like he´s embraced being a Bayern player.
His performances at Dortmund were magnificent and he hasn´t shown
that much of his skill in Munich. At Dortmund he was a fast paced player who
loved to dribble past defenders. Yet he just hasn’t replicated that kind of
performance at Bayern. And it’s translated into his performances for Germany.
In the past three years he has looked jaded, slow and seemingly almost afraid to go into 1v1 situations. He just hasn't showed what we
he did as a 20 year old at Dortmund. He just hasn’t been able to replicate the
form that warranted his move to Bayern.
So what’s the issue? In my opinion he has a serious mental
problem. One could argue there’s an ego issue with Götze seemingly enjoying
the life afforded him with the financial gains he’s made and the model
girlfriend he has. Perhaps he took his eye off the ball and has regressed
because of it?
But I feel that it is not so much ego but actually
insecurity and a sense of missing home. He shows that he regrets leaving
Dortmund, of realizing he made a mistake and of not feeling the love he did
when he was under Klopp. This is not a surprise. It was evident that Gotze
excelled under the tutelage, guidance and love which Klopp gave him. He
excelled because of the responsibility he was given, because of the trust the
club and fans had in him. He was a fan of the club and now he was the key asset
of the team. Why would you want to leave? And yet he did. He couldn’t resist
the temptations, the opportunity which Bayern provided. And he’s paid the price for it.
His mental problems haven’t helped due to how he’s adapted
to the philosophy of Guardiola. It is a different game from Klopp to Guardiola,
one embraces transition and counter attacking, while the other proposes ball
retention, circulation and domination. Some players are more suited (and enjoy)
counter attacking football. They like the speed of the game, they thrive on the
space afforded them and they like creating goal chances. Gotze excelled under
this type of football.
Under Guardiola, who sought to not just play possession
football but push the boundaries of the game, who used varied tactics, who
seemingly played players ‘out of position’. I was hoping Götze would excel under Guardiola. But it just hasn’t worked. He
excelled as a '10' in a 4-2-3-1 yet when he has been tried as a false nine, for both club
and country, he hasn’t been able to come to terms with this role and what
it requires. He also doesn’t seem suited to playing possession football. He
doesn’t seem to able to play at a slow tempo and when he does he looks lost and
confused. It’s a shame really, it seemed he was destined to be one of the best
of the new generation.
Truth be told Guardiola clearly hasn’t been all too
impressed with Gotze. Either that’s because of attitude and work rate issues,
or tactical intelligence limitations. He doesn’t seem to have adapted well or
impacted games effectively enough to warrant a constant start. And then of
course when you know you’re not the 'key man' in the side, perhaps you lose that
confidence and belief. I thought Lewandowski's arrival would bring out more in but it didn't.
Perhaps you try too much to impress and end up making
more mistakes, or perhaps play too safe to not cause a problem, and thus
struggle to make any key impacts. It’s a very hard balance for a talented
player who is out of favour. It’s clear that his confidence has suffered badly,
which prevents him from making smart decisions and taking on his opponents.
He's playing too conservatively and therefore offering very little. Simply put Gotze just hasn’t been favoured by Guardiola and
has suffered for it for three years.
Yes he has had too many injuries – pointing towards Guardiola’s
training methods (an issue other players have suffered with) yet he looks
overweight, lacking sharpness and fitness. No surprise for me, I can see Götze being pushed to his limits by Klopp at Dortmund, yet perhaps lacking his own personal drive
to be as fit he can be. It’s no surprise he’s dropped off without the
relentless energy and tactics of Klopp.
There may be some who will argue that he’s done okay at
Bayern. He’s scored over 30 goals and assisted over 20 in his time. Yet it’s
just been too inconsistent. And yes while he’s done well at times, he hasn’t
pushed forward as a player. This was supposed to be the next big thing in
football, and instead he now appears one of those marked ‘wasted talent’. Right
now anyway.
Where next?
The options for Götze appear to be away from Munich. Which
makes sense based on his experience these past three years. It hasn’t been a
good experience and a move may be the best thing for his career. Yet with the
incoming coach being Carlo Ancelotti, Götze could have a coach who could bring
out the best in him once again. A coach who embraces attacking football and who
likes his teams to counter attack at speed.
There has been talk of a return to
Dortmund, with a feeling that both club and player want to make this a
possibility. And it makes sense. Tuchel’s style can embrace the talents of Götze and bring out the best in him once again. And this is like the prodigal
son returning home after making his mistakes. Leaving Dortmund, especially at
the age he did, was a mistake. On his day at his best he can be one of the best playmakers in world football.
Yet the best option for Gotze may be to move to
England. The obvious option is to re-join Klopp, his father figure coach who
brought out the best in him and who knows him better than anyone else. And he
would play a style of football, both at Liverpool and in the Premier League,
which would suit the players skill-set. The only issue for Liverpool would be
how many of this type of player they already have. In Coutinho, Firmino and
Lallana they have this attacking midfielder/playmaker already. Why add another?
It would only make it harder to fit these players in and affect the balance of
the system. Really Klopp only wants one No.10 playmaker, with a wide forward,
target man and winger making up the other forward roles.
So the question is, is
Gotze better than what you already have? If you’re considering what he offered
at Dortmund then you would say yes. But that was three years ago. One only has
to judge his performance in Germany’s opening game against Ukraine as a false
nine. He was poor, lacking energy and belief. It was tough watching him. Klopp
may think he’s worth the risk after what he offered under him. Unless Coutinho
moves to a PSG or Barca I wouldn’t go for Gotze, but would do if Coutinho is to
leave.
Perhaps the most obscure and yet possible move for Gotze
could be Man Utd. Mata is clearly not in the plans of Mourinho and we all know
how much Mourinho values a No.10 player like Götze Deco, Lampard, Sneijder, Ozil,
Oscar have all exceled in that role under Mourinho. Götze could do the same.
Mourinho may be just the man, with his man-management skills and style of
football, which brings out the best in Götze.
The key for Götze is to find a club and coach who values and
loves him. That is clearly when he excels (most players do, yet some are more
emotional and in need of love than others) and his decision will be determined
on this.
The key may be for him to have a good Euro’s and prove his worth to
prospective coaches. Based on the 1st game that wouldn’t appeal to too many and
even his ‘body of work’ this past three years doesn’t appeal too much either. It may be a ‘gamble’ which a coach needs to take to see what happens – yet this
may mean waiting till 2017 and get him on a free.
It’s been extremely sad to see what’s happened to Götze since moving to Bayern. I absolutely adored him at Dortmund. Even scoring the winning goal to win your country the World
Cup puts you down in history and makes you a national hero but even then he was poor for
the whole tournament, and has been throughout his time at Bayern.
Götze can be
blamed for his own focus and drive, yet Guardiola must also take some blame
too. He hasn’t brought out the best in one a player who was Europe’s best young
player when he arrived in Munich. Hopefully Götze, who has just turned 24 years
old, is able to recapture his Dortmund form and fulfill the potential he showed
in his teens. For me he just needs to be loved to bring out the best in him.
The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address
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