Götze: "Huge relief"
Munich - Mario Götze had only been on the field three minutes when he scored the winner to give defending Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund a 2-1 opening day victory over SV Werder Bremen.
After the final whistle, the 20-year-old wunderkind gave his thoughts on scoring again and revealed his unique take on dealing with pressure...
Question: Mario Götze, how important was it for you to score against Werder Bremen?
Mario Götze: The goal was a huge relief for me. It was fantastic to score again, especially as we were playing at home and it's been such a long time since I last scored - it feels like an eternity. That made it all the more enjoyable.
Question: How did you feel about being a substitute against Werder?
Götze:To be honest, I'm not very used to sitting on the bench, but I also have to understand that in a strong squad like ours there will always be players who have to start off on the bench and wait for their chance. Just as the case was with me against Bremen.
Question: Has playing in the international friendly against Argentina boosted your confidence?
Götze: Every minute I play helps me at the moment. The last time I played a full 90 minutes was in November or December last year, which is why coming on in the Argentina friendly was important. As I've said - every minute helps.
Question: Jürgen Klopp said you're in great shape despite not being fully fit. What are you still lacking?
Götze: I'm not yet ready to play for 90 minutes, it's too early for that. Nevertheless, I am 100 per cent fit. The only element that's missing is match practice.
Question: You looked quite relaxed when you came on the pitch. Are you a laid-back person?
Götze: Football is supposed to be fun, so why should I put myself under pressure? We have a superb team, our fans are fantastic and we play in a great stadium. We should enjoy what we're doing. And I believe we do.
Question: Dortmund's first win of the season wasn't only a matter of enjoyment, but also hard work, wasn't it?
Götze: There were periods in the game when we should have been more determined. We wouldn't have got into trouble towards the end of the game had we scored our second goal earlier. There are surely things that now have to be discussed and have to be improved for the next matches. However, our team has huge potential, we have great players. I am really looking forward to the rest of the season.
Question: Speaking of great players: Marco Reus scored on his Dortmund debut, how do you rate his performance?
Götze: He proved his quality from the start against Bremen. His goal was crucial, especially as it came early in the game. I'm very good friends with Marco and he's integrated into the team very quickly. Everyone gets on really well with him. It's surely one of our advantages that new players are integrated very quickly. And I believe that you can see that on the pitch.
Interview recorded by Dietmar Nolte
Want more Bundesliga Action?