Where will Mario Götze fit in Hansi Flick’s plans in Qatar?

Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick announced his 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last week. Some names were announced as expected, but some players like Mario Götze were more surprising. With major players such as Mats Hummels excluded, surely Flick has some strong intentions for Götze at the tournament. So where does the former Bayern star fit in?

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Mario Götze will most likely be used at an attacking midfielder coming in as a late substitution. For reference, we played 259 minutes of a possible 690 minutes in the 2014 World Cup when he was in his prime.

In 2014, 3 German outfield players never stepped onto the pitch. Some got as little as 15, 44 or 54 minutes. In 2018, only one outfield player didn't get a single minute. Some players got 22, 30, 60 minutes

It is possible Götze gets less than 30 minutes play time due to his current form but there are reasons why he could get more. First off, there could be more rotation. Instead of 23 players, teams bring 26 players which allows for greater rotation. Teams will now also be able to make five substitutions which teams will really want to take advantage of.

The biggest factor though is that this tournament is happening in the middle of the season and players won’t be as fresh heading into the tournament either. This means teams will have to rely on rotation in order to keep their rosters healthy for a deep tournament run,

How do you think Götze will fit in at the World Cup? Let us know in the comments!