
Gӧtze’s transfer to Bayern does not officially go through
until the transfer window opens on July 1.
For the remainder of the Bundesliga schedule and the Champions League
final he will remain a Dortmund player, but the 20 year old attacking
midfielder is faced with an impossible position. Considered the primary
playmaker in Dortmund’s tactical system, Gӧtze plays one of the most important
roles in Jurgen Klopp’s team. Klopp is
faced with the dilemma on whether to include Gӧtze in his squad. Failing to
include him would deprive Dortmund of a critical influence on their style of
play, while Gӧtze’s inclusion would put him in an interesting psychological
dilemma.
If Klopp decides to include Gӧtze in his Champions League
Final squad, Gӧtze will be faced with the following conundrum: succeed with
Dortumnd and doom his soon to be teammates to their second consecutive defeat
in the Final. Failure with Dortmund,
aside from having the usual psychological strains of losing an iconic match in a
football career, Gӧtze also risks the ire of the Dortmund fans that have
followed the emerging star since his youth career with the club.
The conventional wisdom and belief is that a player will
always try his hardest to win the biggest match of their career, but under the
given circumstances Gӧtze does have incentive not to succeed. If Gӧtze were to have a spectacular performance
leading his club to their first Champions League title, he would almost certainly
face cold shoulders and hostility when he enters the Munich training set up in July. Having been hand chosen by incoming manager
Pep Guardiola already holds a certain amount of pressure, coming in as the villain
responsible for the Bayern’s Buffalo Bills-like embarrassment would take that
pressure to another level.
Upon further review of the transfer, it is beginning to look
like a particularly shrewd piece of business from the Bayern Munich front
office. Draw into question the commitment
of one of your rival’s key players just before the biggest match of his
career. Rumors have circulated that they have also
attempted to gain the services of Dortmund’s superstar striker Robert
Lewandowski, but Dortmund have wisely rejected any rumors regarding the future sale
of the striker to Bayern. While doubt remains about Lewandowski's future at the club, Gotze's fate is already set for his July 1 transfer to Bayern.
Aside from the psychological manipulation of Mario Gӧtze,
the timing of this deal also makes financial sense for Bayern. Should Gӧtze
produce the performances he is capable of in the Champions League Final, his
value may have skyrocketed higher than the €37 million agreed upon by the
clubs. At the age of 20 entering as Guardiola’s desired player, he has the
potential to succeed for the club for the foreseeable future while offering a
tactical incentive in the short term. This
is a win-win situation for Bayern and this astute front office move should be
recognized and praised. Whether it yields
the intended short and long term rewards remains to be seen. This is the type of drama and intrigue that
makes the UEFA Champions League the greatest competition in sports.
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