|
Mario Gotze has said he has never worked under anyone like Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel, telling reporters: "He is a very special coach." Gotze, who returned to Dortmund from Bayern Munich in the summer, has trained under some of the game's most highly rated coaches, including Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp -- who were this week voted the first and second best in the world respectively in a kicker poll of Bundesliga players -- plus Germany boss Joachim Low. However, the 24-year-old said Tuchel's meticulousness sets him aside from the rest. "He is a very special coach, who attaches great importance to tactics," Gotze said at Dortmund's winter training camp in Spain. He said Tuchel works hard during games, coaching the players as the 90 minutes go along, and added: "That's something I have never seen before in this vein." He said the former Mainz coach's approach was fundamentally "very positive" and is aimed at improving players. "I believe that Thomas Tuchel tries to get me on a high level, and to reach a new level," Gotze said. The Germany international has only provided glimpses of the form he showed during his first stint at Dortmund, which ended with a controversial switch to Bayern in 2013, but the midfielder -- who has often played a more defensive role under Tuchel -- said he has moved on. "Many associate me with the person I was when I was young," Gotze said. "But I had a different role then, played in a different position." He added: "The No. 8 position is my favourite position. That's no secret." Last week, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised Gotze, saying: "The world-class footballer in him still lies dormant. It's like cycling -- you can't unlearn it." Gotze responded: "It's always nice to hear praise, but it's not like I did not know it before. I believe this is the truth." Elsewhere, BVB continued their winter training camp on Monday with a nearly complete squad. Raphael Guerreiro, Erik Durm and Marco Reus, who spent a significant part of the first half of the season out injured, trained individually, while goalkeeper Roman Burki, defender Neven Subotic and midfielder Nuri Sahin have yet to resume team training.
|
