Mario Götze on Eintracht Frankfurt's form, his best position and how football has changed
At 34 and in the autumn of his career, Eintracht Frankfurt's Mario Götze says he "enjoys football even more" these days as he looks to help the Eagles return to form and winning ways now that the international break is over.
In this wide-ranging interview, Götze discusses what Frankfurt need to do to get back on track, his favourite position, and mentoring younger players.
Bundesliga: Mario, you’ve been a very attacking player through your career, but recently more often as a number eight. In the friendly against Eintracht Braunschweig, you played in defensive midfield alongside Robin Koch. Where do you personally see your position today? Where can you contribute the most to the team?
Götze: “I think, especially as you get older and maybe don’t have the energy of an 18, 19 or 20-year-old, you tend to get more defensive. But in general, I’m very happy in the centre. Be it as an attacking number six, an eight, or a number 10, I think that’s the best position for me. It always depends on the system, of course, but I’m happy in the centre. If we are quite flexible in that, I’m very happy with that.”
Bundesliga: Frankfurt went into the international break with five points from four games. And right after that, RB Leipzig, Cologne and Borussia Dortmund await. Is this stretch of games already something of an early indicator of where this Eintracht team truly stands this season?
Götze: “It’s still very early. Of course, we’ve only played four games. Every phase of the Bundesliga season is especially important for us. Every game counts, but it’s very important after the break now to get back to collecting points, to be in a rhythm again.
"But it’s not easy to play in Leipzig, not easy to play in Dortmund. We're well aware of that. I’ve mentioned a couple of times, but I think it’s very important to work on the basics, on the little things, and then take it game by game. I know it’s a stupid phrase, but I think we have to work – especially this season – in that rhythm.”
Bundesliga: What needs to change or become more consistent after the international break so that good periods of play over 90 minutes regularly translate into wins?
Götze: “I think we've done quite well. If you look at all four games, even in pre-season and then all four Bundesliga games, we've scored goals and we've always taken the lead. So I think there are a lot of good things. It’s just small things we have to improve, especially in the second half, and especially when it comes to defending our own goal.
"We have to be more streetwise in a couple of situations. That's how we can build that consistency. That'll be very important. We've got into our games very well, especially in the first halves, but now we just have to keep that up over 90 minutes. That will be the challenge for us in the next games.”
Bundesliga: After last season, Eintracht's board member for sport Markus Krösche made it very clear that the team had failed to achieve any of the stated goals. What needs to change this season to ensure that that doesn’t happen again?
Götze: “If you want to be successful, especially over the long term, I think you need to have a lot of things. You have to grow as a team, you have to grow as a player. It’s very important that we stick together as a team, as the players here. And then find that stability over games. It’s not so easy. You don’t have that one switch and then everything is good and you get that consistency and the way we want to play.
"It’s more like you are going in the right direction and have that progress over the whole season. In the end, every game counts for us. Three points, no matter where we play, how we play. That will be very important this season, especially because we have only the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup. We need to focus on that.”
Bundesliga: Let’s talk about your age and expectations at 34. You’re not automatically a starter in every game this season but at the same time, you can still make an impact. Do you still want to start every weekend? Or how would you define your role?
Götze: “I would say not necessarily. I think it’s very important to have that balance, especially for me and how I can contribute to the team and to success. In the end, I’m an athlete, I want to compete, I want to play, but I also know that we have a good squad and the team is more important. I think it’s a good mix of giving the team the best I can. That means both things. Either I can start or I can also contribute if I come on the pitch.”
Bundesliga: Head coach Adi Hütter demands a lot of intensity and vertical play. You’re a player who approaches football with a strong focus on space, rhythm and possession. Are those areas where you’ve adjusted your game the most under him?
Götze: “Kind of. It’s very important that he wants that intensity, wants that vertical play. He wants to create a lot of chances. That’s what we've missed in the last one, two or three years. Especially if you want to be successful, you have to have both the calmness in possession but at the same time be dangerous with counterattacks. That’s very important.
"His focus right now, and I think this is what the squad needs, what we need, and what the club needs, is to have that intensity to work against the ball and at the same time be dangerous if we can have that counter-pressing, get the ball and create chances very quickly.”
Bundesliga: Let’s talk a bit about the generation shift. Love Arrhov explicitly referred to you as his mentor this summer and said that you conciously look out for him and the young players. When did you first realise: ‘I’m no longer the young guy being guided by the older ones. I’ve suddenly become the role model myself’?
Götze: “It comes naturally over time. Of course, I’ve been in the game for 15-16 years. There comes a point where you realise, if you play a rondo, you shouldn't be in the middle. Also if you look around and players are getting younger, faster, you realise it’s a different phase of your career.
"But it’s also nice. It’s good. I try to be a role model for the younger players. And if they need help, they can always reach out. I try to do my best here, and they can try to learn from that and take what’s important for them and for their careers.”
Bundesliga: Your contract runs until 2028. When you extended your deal, you said that you’re aware a football career is finite. What still needs to happen on the pitch here in Frankfurt over these two years for you to say, ‘That was exactly the right final chapter of my career’?
Götze: “I would say in general I’m very happy right now, so I don’t plan too much in the future, because in the end a career is so short. I’ve been playing professional football for 15-16 years. I just want to enjoy it. I want to enjoy the little things, the sessions, the training.
"And if I can play and contribute, and see the fans in the stadium… I think it’s different now, because you know you can’t play for the next 10 years, so you enjoy it even more. I think that’s a good thing. It’s really the small things, like going out on the pitch, training with nice weather. That’s just the case here.”
Bundesliga: In all your years of professional football, you’ve played alongside and against several generations of players. What has changed most since your Bundesliga debut: the game itself or what’s expected from the players on the field?
Götze: “Of course, the game always develops over time, so you can’t compare 20 years ago to now. I think it's got way faster, way more physical. And I think it will continue like that in the next few years. And at the same time, you have that media attention, more games, more tournaments.
"I think the highlight culture is totally different from when I started, but also of course due to the media, to social media, to how everybody consumes sports nowadays. I think these two things are probably the biggest changes over the last 15 to 20 years.”
