Between bench and leadership role: how Goretzka sees his DFB future | OneFootball

At the age of 30, Leon Goretzka has long been one of the most experienced players in the German national team. Nevertheless, his role in Julian Nagelsmann’s team is no longer as stable as it was a few years ago. While the Bayern professional regularly shuttles between the starting eleven and the substitutes‘ bench at club level, he is now also fighting for his place in the DFB team.

The recent non-nomination of Angelo Stiller has caused discussion in Germany – quite a few fans were surprised that Nagelsmann opted for Goretzka instead. While the VfB professional is considered an absolute top performer in Stuttgart, Goretzka often only plays a supporting role in Munich under Vincent Kompany.

Pavlovic as a competitor – Goretzka takes the situation in his stride

In fact, Aleksandar Pavlovic has outperformed the 30-year-old at FC Bayern this season. The two have recently played together in the national team – but only because Joshua Kimmich was once again helping out at right-back.

Goretzka himself is taking the current situation in his stride, emphasizing in an interview with RTL/sport.de that he has recently had „great fun“ playing for Germany again.

photo: IMAGO

On the pitch, he is currently taking on two roles at the same time: „Against the ball, I’m performing the classic tasks of a double-six. I’m trying to bring physicality and robustness into the game – that was an important issue against Northern Ireland.“

As soon as the DFB team is in possession of the ball, Goretzka moves further forward: „In the final third, I push a little higher and try to play in the ten-man position.“

Goretzka wants to take on responsibility

Goretzka also sees himself as a leader off the pitch. With a wink, he said: „I’m now the second oldest player, I’ve shockingly discovered that. I’ve experienced a thing or two in my career.“ He wants to „get the many young players in the DFB team on board, give them something and lead the way“.

Goretzka’s statements show that he has come to terms with his new role – as an experienced team player who can be deployed flexibly and wants to take on responsibility. Nevertheless, it is clear that he is under performance-related pressure both at FC Bayern and in the DFB team.