Mario Götze was back in the starting XI for FC Bayern München during their narrow but deserved 1-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. The goalscorer of the 2014 World Cup final produced a strong performance and assisted Franck Ribery’s winning goal before he was taken off after 85 minutes, Götze had covered the more ground than any other Bayern player. But the attacking midfielder didn’t just produce quality football, he also worked and fought extremely hard, picking up his first yellow card since October 2014. In this interview with DFB.de Götze talks about the hard-earned win against Frankfurt, Bayern’s quarterfinal encounter with Benfica in the Champions League next Tuesday and his future in Munich.
Question: Mr. Götze, how satisfied are you with your own performance against Frankfurt?
Mario Götze: Getting the three points is what counts. You could tell that it wasn’t an easy game. It was important to score an early goal. For me personally it was great to be back in the starting line-up and to get some much needed match practice in order to find my rhythm again - especially after such a lengthy injury. I’m heading into the right direction.
Question: How do you feel currently?
Götze: I feel that I’m gradually improving.
Question: How close are you to reaching 100 percent again?
Götze: It’s difficult to put into numbers. I played 85 minutes today and it was my second game in the starting XI over the course of a couple of days. So I would say that I’m nearly back to 100 percent.
Question: How long does it take after returning from an injury before you are fully integrated into the team again?
Götze: It usually doesn’t take that long. Everyone who has been sidelined with an injury knows that it’s like. It’s particularly difficult to recover physically and find back to your game. But I’ve been back for a while now and I’ve played a few times already. It certainly does take some time though.
Question: How dangerous is Benfica Lisbon for FC Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinal?
Götze: Obviously we could’ve drawn a tougher opponent, but we also know that they will still be a difficult opponents. Every team in the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League deserves to be there. We have to be prepared. They are two games in which anything can happen. Last year we had a similar experience in Porto, where we quickly conceded two goals. Anything is possible in football.
Question: What do you know about Portuguese football?
Götze: Not a whole lot. We will prepare intensively for our opponent over the next few days and then we will find out more. Benfica deserved to be in the quarterfinals and we can’t allow ourselves to underestimate any team in this competition.
Question: How are you handling all the rumours surrounding your future?
Götze: I usually don’t comment on that.
Question: Would it be important for you to have a chat with Carlo Ancelotti soon, Bayern’s new manager next season?
Götze: We will see. At the moment I’m fit and want to play. Being back on the pitch after this injury is the key.
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Mario Götze was back in the starting XI for FC Bayern München during their narrow but deserved 1-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. The goalscorer of the 2014 World Cup final produced a strong performance and assisted Franck Ribery’s winning goal before he was taken off after 85 minutes, Götze had covered the more ground than any other Bayern player. But the attacking midfielder didn’t just produce quality football, he also worked and fought extremely hard, picking up his first yellow card since October 2014. In this interview with DFB.de Götze talks about the hard-earned win against Frankfurt, Bayern’s quarterfinal encounter with Benfica in the Champions League next Tuesday and his future in Munich.
Question: Mr. Götze, how satisfied are you with your own performance against Frankfurt?
Mario Götze: Getting the three points is what counts. You could tell that it wasn’t an easy game. It was important to score an early goal. For me personally it was great to be back in the starting line-up and to get some much needed match practice in order to find my rhythm again - especially after such a lengthy injury. I’m heading into the right direction.
Question: How do you feel currently?
Götze: I feel that I’m gradually improving.
Question: How close are you to reaching 100 percent again?
Götze: It’s difficult to put into numbers. I played 85 minutes today and it was my second game in the starting XI over the course of a couple of days. So I would say that I’m nearly back to 100 percent.
Question: How long does it take after returning from an injury before you are fully integrated into the team again?
Götze: It usually doesn’t take that long. Everyone who has been sidelined with an injury knows that it’s like. It’s particularly difficult to recover physically and find back to your game. But I’ve been back for a while now and I’ve played a few times already. It certainly does take some time though.
Question: How dangerous is Benfica Lisbon for FC Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinal?
Götze: Obviously we could’ve drawn a tougher opponent, but we also know that they will still be a difficult opponents. Every team in the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League deserves to be there. We have to be prepared. They are two games in which anything can happen. Last year we had a similar experience in Porto, where we quickly conceded two goals. Anything is possible in football.
Question: What do you know about Portuguese football?
Götze: Not a whole lot. We will prepare intensively for our opponent over the next few days and then we will find out more. Benfica deserved to be in the quarterfinals and we can’t allow ourselves to underestimate any team in this competition.
Question: How are you handling all the rumours surrounding your future?
Götze: I usually don’t comment on that.
Question: Would it be important for you to have a chat with Carlo Ancelotti soon, Bayern’s new manager next season?
Götze: We will see. At the moment I’m fit and want to play. Being back on the pitch after this injury is the key.
