15 Dec 2023 10:36:44
Ed1 - hope you are well, just wanted your thoughts on Mario Gotze.

I was watching my beloved Aberdeen FC play Frankfurt at Pittodrie last night and was shocked to see his name on the team sheet, I didn't realize he signed for them.

I sat and watched him for the 60 mins he played, and couldn't believe how out of sorts he looked. He looked overweight, Lethargic, and didn't seem to know where he was supposed to be playing. Aberdeen pretty much kicked him around the park which was pretty embarrassing to watch.

I remember if im correct that he was supposed to be the next poster boy of German football not so long ago, and he just didn't look a shadow of the player i remember he was supposed to be? Was he ever as good as it was made out when he was playing under Klopp he looked like a world beater, but i know his time at Bayern was not a success. Shame really as i always liked him when the mighty LFC where linked with him a few years ago.

{Ed001's Note - he had injury and attitude problems which destroyed a promising career.}

1.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 11:52:58
Scoring the winner a world cup final probably didn't help, funny as that sounds.
Feel like he dined out on that for a few seasons and before you know it he’s at the tail end of his career and a shadow of his former self.

2.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 14:00:48
He's had a lot of injury and health issues which really affected his career, but I think the biggest mistake he made was moving to Bayern. The timing of it, the price tag, the rivalry between Dortmund and Bayern, the FC Hollywood nature of Bayern, the fact that Guardiola came in that same summer and basically never wanted him, it was a really bad move especially so early on in his career. A real shame because him and Reus under Klopp was an incredibly exciting watch.

3.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 15:59:14
Exactly, zpecialone. Klopp warned him and tried to convince him not to go to Bayern at the time but like Coutinho, he didn't listen. Shame cos he was such an awesome player even tho, injuries and sickness wrecked his career. However, scoring the winner in a WC final? Not bad indeed.

4.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 17:39:43
But how often are these 'warnings' actually in the players' interests and not just self serving. I think its mostly a manipulation tactic to keep your best players but PipCo leaving broke my heart more than i expected.

{Ed025's Note - not for me RR, i think you got brilliant money for a guy who turned out to be nothing but a show pony mate..

5.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 18:11:30
Coutinho was a flop at Inter Milan, flop at Barcelona, flop at Bayern Munich and a flop at Aston Villa. The only club he saw success with was Liverpool. So what does that tell you? Could it be that the system used at LFC brought out the best of him? Who should get the credit for that?

But I'm thankful for his arrival and departure. Without his stay (where he scored well, and played well, mind you) we wouldn't have gotten VVD and Alisson. Who helped turn us into title winners.

{Ed025's Note - spot on ArAy..

6.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 18:13:11
Indeed, Ed25. Not saying Cou was just a show pony cos the kid was clearly a talent that Klopp actually tried his hardest to keep. Him leaving did not break my heart in any way cos I don't attach myself to players enuff to let that happen.

When a player does a Cou or a Torres, I just check out. I don't think of them that much anymore and Im just waiting for them to leave at that point. We got Klopp and as long as we have him, things are going to be fine even if I disagree with his methods at times.

{Ed025's Note - i didn,t like the way he engineered his move to barca with the old bad back bogus injury Oli, you sold at the optimum time and bought yourself some great players with the proceeds so that worked out well mate, he has played for some great clubs and made himself a ton of money so good luck to him, even though i think he will end up at McDonalds this time next year.. :)

7.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 19:12:36
Good point that aray on countinho, didn't succeed anywhere bar lfc. Never thought of that, must admit I thought he super little player for us all the same.

8.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 19:47:43
Mario Gotze had condition called Myopathy. A muscular disorder which affects the fibres in the muscles, meaning they do not function correctly. Plus he had known attitude problems which was a recipe for a career going fast to nowhere.

9.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 20:07:11
I adored Coutinho. He was our best player after Suarez left. His and Torres' exit shattered me but I was much younger then. I have detached myself from these things now. Bar Trent forcing a move none of it would matter. But yeah we must remember that the team/ coach will say anything to keep a player, even a complete lie.

10.) 15 Dec 2023
15 Dec 2023 20:43:35
Ed25, Cou won the treble with Bayern while on loan from Barca, two years after he swore that was his dream move and threatened wLFC with all types of stuff. As soon as he started doing that, I checked out and was already over him well before he eventually left.

So you may think he did a lot wrong which he did but he is prolly thinking that the ends justifies the means a little bit. As for him ending up at MacDonalds, he is on loan at a club in Qatfrom Villa so surely that qualifies for MacDonalds, don't you think?

{Ed025's Note - its immaterial now Oli, hes been replaced by Big Mac.. :)

11.) 16 Dec 2023
16 Dec 2023 08:57:01
Coutinho was a special player for us, and I've no doubt Klopp could have polished him into a phenom.
But we clearly improved when he left, so it was the right move for us but wrong one for him. Shame how his career nosedived, but it was all his choice and his own doing.
I'm sure he didn't suffer financially.

12.) 16 Dec 2023
16 Dec 2023 10:17:15
Flash, the guy won the treble with Bayern in 19/ 20 while on loan from Barcelona and along with 2 La Liga titles in 17/ 89 and 18/ 19, not sure he suffered trophy-wise, either.

13.) 16 Dec 2023
16 Dec 2023 12:02:47
He didn't contribute massively to those trophies though, particularly the Champs lge. with Bayern, he was a squad player for them.
I learnt after Torres that players will leave and it doesn't have to signal the end of the world, even if they do move to Chelsea! The fact he never hit the heights he did with Liverpool sure helped though.

14.) 16 Dec 2023
16 Dec 2023 12:55:18
Fully agree, Semibythesea3. Torres like Cou at Bayern, was a passenger in that Chelsea team that won things after he got there even tho, he scored the goal to win the the EL under Rafa in 12/ 13.