The FCB legend has voiced his frustration with Pep Guardiola's decision to occasionally use the gifted midfielder up front
Franz Beckenbauer believes Bayern Munich are wasting Mario Gotze by playing him as a striker.

The former Borussia Dortmund star has featured as Bayern's lone front man on a number of occasions this term, including the 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach last month.

Guardiola often favoured a striker-less system during his time with Barcelona, but the club's honorary president is adamant the 21-year-old is better suited to a deeper role.

"It doesn't make much sense to play Gotze as a striker," Beckenbauer told Sky90.

"You are not doing the little guy any favours when you put him up front against three giant defenders. Gotze is nowhere to be seen any more when one of them coughs. It's simple as that.

"Bayern would be wasting his potential in this position. Of course, he could play there, but you don't get the best out of him in that position.

"I think he'd be at his best behind a striker. He is much more dangerous in that position."

Gotze has netted six goals in 14 Bundesliga appearances so far this term.

http://www.goal.com/en-au/news/4016/main/2014/02/04/4593864/bayern-wasting-gotze-as-a-striker-says-beckenbauer

I disagree with him, sure he's not as good as he is when he plays in midfield (atleast right now) but he's a young player, working under a world class manager... he can learn the role. He has all the tools, and could even improve individually and give him more authority in a game from that position.

Hopefully Pep continues to play him there, Löw is surely looking forward to that.

Yes Beckenbauer, anger Pep so he can come back to us!

I'm sure Pep knows best were to use Gotze, as proved vs. Dortmund game, you nut.

It's not a secret that Franz hasn't been what you would call an 'official spokesperson' of the FCB for quite a while now, he jollily talks a lot of shit these days, when the day is long, and he feels like it; and it's not like he's lacking opportunity for it with his 5000 TV jobs.

Next step in his development will be to stroll around Kitzbühel without any pants on, as he likes to feel the cool clear alps air stroking his ballsack. And he would have earned the right to do so, too.

Nothing more than annoying than a back-seat driver.

Hapless_Hans wrote:It's not a secret that Franz hasn't been what you would call an 'official spokesperson' of the FCB for quite a while now, he jollily talks a lot of shit these days, when the day is long, and he feels like it; and it's not like he's lacking opportunity for it with his 5000 TV jobs.

Next step in his development will be to stroll around Kitzbühel without any pants on, as he likes to feel the cool clear alps air stroking his ballsack. And he would have earned the right to do so, too.

interesting

DOnt watch Bayern consistently, but hes been great as a striker lately from what I can tell, his scoring im sure has improved as a result, some of the goals he is scoring the quick control and shots are just amazing. Whether long term that is his best position will wait and see. Also Germany arent overloaded with top class strikers atm, who knows how he will be used up coming until the WC?

he's not really playing as a striker though, he's playing as what is called a "falscher Fuffziger" (^tm, by the way), often interchanging positions with Müller.

Amazes me how people still question a 2 time CL winner

People questioned him when he bought Thiago... wonder what happened there?

People questioned his 4-1-4-1 system, said it was suicidal and it would lead to Dortmund winning the league lmfao.

Now he's being questioned on how he's using Gotze despite the fact Gotze is scoring and/or assisting every game

How about everyone just kneel down and kiss the ring? The man clearly knows what he's doing lol.

it's Franz, Dear Leader, you have to excuse him, and above all you must not take him seriously.

I was talking in general themes hans, a lot of his decisions have been questioned.

Almost of them have suddenly gone quiet.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:I was talking in general themes hans, a lot of his decisions have been questioned.

Almost of them have suddenly gone quiet.

Yes, I've been browsing a bit on previous pages since I joined, and it's no wonder they have gone quiet with that amount of knee-jerkery and outright nonsense having been posted.

Just because he isn't 6ft5 and can't head, doesn't mean he can't play up front. It's been proven plenty of times before that technical ability > physical in the big games.

Hapless_Hans wrote:it's Franz, Dear Leader, you have to excuse him, and above all you must not take him seriously.

Out of interest, which one of the Bayern executives insulted Hitzfeld's mathematics background?

I think it was something about him being too cautious and maybe it was Hoeneß who said football wasn't mathematics.

That was Rummenigge I think, when he grew dissatisfied with the rather dull way we played under Hitzfeld's second spell. Wasn't all Hitzfeld's fault really, our squad had problems, embodied by the presence of such legendarily mediocre figures as Ottl and Lell.

Hapless_Hans wrote:That was Rummenigge I think, when he grew dissatisfied with the rather dull way we played under Hitzfeld's second spell. Wasn't all Hitzfeld's fault really, our squad had problems, embodied by the presence of such legendarily mediocre figures as Ottl and Lell.

Yes, you are right. A quick Google search of "Rummenigge Hitzfeld math" brings me to this:

http://www.welt.de/sport/article1348330/So-treibt-Rummenigge-Hitzfeld-in-die-Schweiz.html

"Wenn man zu so einem Spiel 66.000 Zuschauer ins Stadion bringt, haben die ein Recht auf die beste Mannschaft und nicht auf irgendetwas anderes. Fußball ist nicht Mathematik. Ich sage nicht, wen ich dafür kritisiere. Ich sage nur: Ich bin stocksauer."

After a 2-2 draw against Bolton. Ha.

Well, Rummenigge went on to do a glorious *bleep*-up with getting Klinsmann next, it's safe to say we were in a kind of midlife crisis then.
The old wife isn't pretty and youthful enough anymore, we'll go with the painted teenage bimbo..

Ah right, Rummenigge was mad that Hitzfeld's calculated rotational policy lead to a quite dreary European homegame.

chapeau beckenbauer, a whole statement about bayern's striker position without bashing mandzukic once.