Goalscorer Leon Goretzka is struggling with his own situation at FC Bayern. Hasan Salihamidzic wishes for a different approach, but also expresses understanding.
Leon Goretzka is known as a man of clear words.
The FC Bayern midfielder has always raised his voice in recent weeks and months when issues such as racism and discrimination were discussed.
On Sunday, Goretzka also became clear when he was asked about his personal sporting situation.
Goretzka again only joker
Once again, the former mischief-maker sat on the bench at the start of the game, before he was called onto the field by Hansi Flick in the 70th minute.
The change had the desired success: Goretzka delivered. As in the 6:0 against TSG Hoffenheim last weekend, he scored as a joker.
While he only scored the insignificant final point there, Goretzka ended the big tremor on Sunday.
For only a few minutes before his 2-0 win in injury time, Manuel Neuer had saved the Bavarians from equalising.
Goretzka unhappy
But despite the goal, which could be worth gold in the title fight on Saturday due to Leipzig’s slip-up, Goretzka expressed his displeasure.
“Personally, of course, I’m not happy when I play 20 minutes,” said the international. However, this also speaks for Goretzka’s character, he said.
After all, “things are going very well in the team, we are successful.” He knows that you have to “get your personal situation right” so that it “doesn’t overflow into your actions” and “doesn’t have a negative influence on the team”.
Goretzka in “the best shape of my career”
Goretzka’s last appearance in the Bundesliga – partly due to injury problems – was a month ago, and in Chelsea FC’s Champions League he only managed a minute after he was struck down. Only in the cup against former club Schalke was he allowed over 90 minutes.
Yet he was “perhaps even in the best shape of my career so far”. Goretzka emphasized that there was an exchange with Flick, but he did not want to reveal the content of the exchange to the public.
Flick knows what he has in Goretzka, however, and he was given plenty of time to play against prominent opponents such as Dortmund, Leverkusen, Gladbach and Leipzig.
Salihamidzic prefers four-eyes conversation
Hasan Salihamidzic showed mixed feelings when he was confronted with Goretzkas statements in the Mixed Zone.
“The coach sets up the team as he sees fit,” explained the sports director, who felt it was “everyone’s right to speak out,” especially when “he does it the way he does it today.
However, Salihamidzic added that he “prefers to discuss this in private or with the coach in private.