Götze needs patience for his “moment”
Mario Götze patiently completed the pass exercises with Matthias Ginter in the duet of the 2014 world champions in the German training area of Al-Shamal. Patience is just about the most important quality of the great Rio hero on his World Cup return. After the 1-1 draw against Spain, which he had to watch from the substitutes’ bench, he only threw a few scraps of words at the reporters in the interview zone. Meaning: I don’t have anything to say to you yet. His 12-minute comeback after five years without an international match against Japan had been lost four days earlier in general German frustration over the 2-1 defeat in the opening game.
Others are still talking about Götze in Qatar. “Mario is an absolutely vital part of this group. He shows what he’s capable of in training,” replied Thomas Müller when asked whether his offensive colleague was doing well. It was recorded: Mario Götze is doing well. The 30-year-old would certainly be even better off if Hansi Flick called him into the starting XI for the last group game on Thursday (8 p.m. / ARD and MagentaTV) against Costa Rica.
Götze was “a brilliant footballer and also a great person,” said Flick when the squad was announced and praised his “flashes of genius” on the ball. However, a fear associated with the return did not come true. His appointment did not trigger too much hype, which Götze no longer likes after eventful years with a long period of low performance at FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The Qatar World Cup had other issues.
Götze’s name, even after a long DFB break, is of course a promise, combined with that shot at luck in the 2014 final against Argentina. Müller called this the “Götze moment”. And everyone knows what that means. “I think there’s a chance he can get that Götze moment again,” said Müller. Maybe against Costa Rica or later in the tournament if the DFB team reaches the knockout phase. “Mario is prepared, and so are we,” said Müller. Until then, patience is required.