Nuri
Sahin, Shinji Kagawa, Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze all sound familiar and
have one thing in common. They all left Borussia Dortmund at the
"Peak" of their respective careers and till date their form and
careers hasn't been the same. They have regressed despite accumulating
different trophies which Dortmund may not have offered them. Little wonder
central midfielder Ilkay Gundogan resigned with the North Rhine-Westphalia
side, after his contract expired and after being courted by the likes of Real
Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Mario
Gotze needs no introduction having achieved what the present World Best players
(Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo) have not achieved and could end up not
achieving when they end their careers ; scoring the decisive goal in Brazil
2014 FIFA World Cup final that downed Messi's Argentina after coming on
in the 88 minutes for striker Miroslav Klose. It was a clear reminder of
Gotze's ability and talent and showed how far he could progress in any team if
given the right support and love. This is because unlike Pep Guardiola his
Bayern Coach, Joachim Low (Germany) makes him feel special and accepted even
though he doesn't get game time.
At
Bayern, it is clear Gotze has failed to improve but instead regressed. He is no
longer the star man as was the case in Dortmund and is far behind the pecking
order of firstly Toni Kroos and now Thiago Alcantara , Thomas Muller and has
wing wizards Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery. Gotze was still given limited game
time last season despite the injury crises that plagued the club (Robben,
Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Alcantara were too often injured). This season, it
could be worse given the imminent signing of Arturo Vidal from Juventus, though
the play different positions but Gotze might find himself on the bench due to
presence of Muller, Alcantara, Vidal, Alonso and maybe Douglas Costa who
plays as a striker or supporting striker. Gotze has won the German
Bundesliga twice and DFB- Pokal once in his time in Bavaria but has made little
or no progress in his career.
In
Dortmund, Gotze was so successful that at 18 years he was included in the
German squad for the Poland and Ukraine UEFA Euro 2012. In his first full
season in Dortmund (2010-2011) aged just 18, he finished the season with eight
goals and 11 assists in all competitions. Gotze's form was so tremendous and
consistent that he signed a new contract with a release clause of £37 million
at a tender age of 20 (March 27, 2012). In his final season in Dortmund, Gotze
was the second most important player behind striker Robert Lewandowski and also
formed a deadly partnership with Marco Reus scoring 16 goals and making 13
assists in all competitions (2012/2013 season). At the end of the 2012/2013
season, Bayern Munich paid a then record £37 million for the German player (Gotze)
to take him to Bavaria.
Two
years into Gotze's stay in Bayern, Volker Struth his agent had this to say,
"Guardiola has destroyed Gotze, he feels like the coach doesn't have faith
in him and yet still he is asked to be decisive when he gets on the pitch."
"Gotze only plays In easy games. I'm surprised no one at Bayern has
realised that and defended Mario. Of course i would have liked it if Mario had
felt more support on one or two situations," he concluded. This isn't the
first time Gotze is been advised to leave Bayern, so he can fulfill his
potential elsewhere as Bayern Legends like Oliver Khan and Dietmar Hamaan have
done so numerous times. At 23, it is the right time to rediscover his best form
and for two seasons now, it is clear Bayern Munich may not be the best place
for him.
With
the rumor of the interest of Juventus in Gotze. It should be a welcome
development because, at Juventus due to the departures of Andre Pirlo and soon
to be Arturo Vidal, Gotze will have more playing time. At Juventus, players
like Carlos Tevez, Paul Pogba, Alvaro Morata, Kingsley Coman and Patrice Evra
have all rejuvenated their careers despite in different age brackets. With the
presence of Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba in midfield, Gotze will blossom
and shine. If Gotze didn't have enough game time last season despite the injury
plague in Bayern then one might be tempted to say this season might be worse
for him. It is a case of now or never for Mario Gotze.
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