2024-09-17 17:36:52
Leon Goretzka is having a difficult time at FC Bayern. Former international player Christoph Kramer feels for him – and explains why it is unfair from a sporting point of view.
Leon Goretzka is currently having a difficult life at FC Bayern Munich. Coach Vincent Kompany has only used the number six for one minute in the Bundesliga. He wasn’t even in the squad for the first round of the DFB Cup against Ulm. The same was true against Kiel on the third matchday of the league. One person who feels for Goretzka is former Gladbach star Christoph Kramer.
The former national player said in the podcast “Copa TS” with Tommi Schmitt about the fate of the Bayern professional: “An incredibly difficult situation right now, which I really feel sorry for because he doesn’t deserve it.”
Kramer stressed that he “wouldn’t want to be in that shoes” and assured the audience that Goretzka was “a very fine person, a very fine character”. The German record champions had informed the 29-year-old midfielder that they were no longer planning to use him. Sports director Max Eberl explained: “I like him a lot, even if he is obviously angry at the moment.” FC Bayern is currently relying on Aleksandar Pavlović and Joshua Kimmich in midfield. João Palhinha was also brought in and Konrad Laimer is also available for the center.
For Kramer, it was a “terrible situation” that Goretzka did not deserve “from a purely sporting perspective”. The 2014 world champion explained it this way: “Leon Goretzka didn’t get to play the 1AA games against Real Madrid or something like that last season, but he still played a lot of games and had incredible scoring figures. That is also his great strength. He played 30 games and scored 15 points. That is an incredible rate.”
Kramer added: “Especially when you consider that he was never 100 percent confident. He was always a bit criticized. He played a season that was really an A+.” Goretzka played a total of 42 games for Munich last season. He scored six goals and provided eleven assists.
For the ex-Gladbach player, the problem is not with Goretzka, but with the coach. Kramer explained this with a situation from his sporting career: “This year he has a coach, and unfortunately that is part of a career, who for some reason is not into him. I had that once in my career too, there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s so terrible because you train, you give everything, you don’t give up, you push, but you have the feeling that no one sees it, that you’re not even considered.”
The loss of Sacha Boey could have increased Goretzka’s chances of getting a place in the squad. It seems as though Kompany will now have to move Laimer or Kimmich to the right-back position (read more about this here). However, this is likely to be only a small consolation for Goretzka.