MESUT "BOÖZIL" AND THE MEN WHO STARE AT GÖTZE

MESUT BOÖZIL AND THE MEN WHO STARE AT GÖTZE

D. Ray Morton, 7th March 2014.

During Germany's victorious 1-0 friendly win against Chile on Tuesday night, Mesut Özil received a chorus of boos from the his own fans despite setting up a goal for the man who might very well steal his place in their World Cup starting XI, Mario Götze. Chile had several dominant spells throughout and many people labelled it as a lucky victory for the Germans. Coach Joachim Löw is left with a real dilemma when it comes to team selection come next summer. He and assistant manager, Hans-Dieter Flick, have a lot of observing to do between then and now. The German squad seems to be overloaded with talented players for the attacking midfield positions and in regards to that central slot, Özil and Götze could find themselves in direct competition.

 

The conundrum is as such: which exact formation to play and which personnel to use? Here are some possibilities...

1. Stick with the plan and field Özil in his natural position. 

Since Jogi Löw took charge of Germany in time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he has used the Arsenal playmaker as his main No. 10 usually played behind a conventional centre forward like Miroslav Klose or Mario Gomez. In a 4-2-3-1 system, with wide players offering additional support, this incarnation of Germany can be fluid and devastating. In the last two tournaments with Löw at the helm, his side have swept away weaker, disorganised teams only to be stopped by a highly technical side in Spain during the last World Cup and a highly tactical side in Italy during the Euros of two years ago. The system could have its limitations in that Özil tires, this season more than ever considering the amount of games he's had to play as Arsenal's key player. For this to work, Götze would have to be rotated in, something which the young Bayern Munich star may not be too pleased with as he blossoms into one of the world's best playmakers in his own right.

2. Play both but with Götze either wide or as a "false 9".  

This is certainly something that Löw must consider seeing as he might have to incorporate both into his starting line-up. Özil would remain in an advanced central midfield position and Götze would have to settle for one of the wide roles or play as a false 9. Pep Guardiola has experimented with Götze in that role at Bayern this season but one wonders whether this can be effective at World Cup level as opposed to when steamrollering meek opposition in the Bundesliga. Özil probably plays too high up the pitch to be used in a false 9-accommodating formation. The best false 9 role in world football, demonstrated by Lionel Messi at Barcelona, requires his midfielders to sit that little bit deeper, dictating the pace in the middle allowing him to drop deep and search for space. Götze is not as good a finisher as Messi and having him in that role with Özil on the pitch could lead to confusion as they could well find themselves getting in each others' way.

3. Drop Özil entirely and play Götze as either the No. 10 or false 9.

Özil's form has dipped significantly over the past few months and Löw must genuinely consider dropping him if he can't rediscover the performances that had made the 25 year-old an early candidate for Premier League player of the season. Özil was taking the league by storm back in September but now he appears isolated and exhausted and one would question whether he can get back to his best in time for Brazil. Götze could very well flourish as Germany's first choice playmaker and giving him the starting berth from the beginning would be a huge vote of confidence. Löw must ask himself, when it comes to the showdown, and Germany face proper, tough opposition in the latter stages - do you want the largely indefatigable Götze or the somewhat languid genius of the ex-Real Madrid star? Decisions ahead.