Mario Basler has wealth of experience as a player and coach, which has helped make him a valuable pundit for football shows.
To be a personality on one of those, you have to have takes — and Basler has one that is scorching hot ahead of Bayern Munich’s Champions League tilt against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
If Basler could make a tweak to Vincent Kompany’s lineup, it would be to start Leon Goretzka over Aleksandar Pavlović (as captured by Goal):
“I’m sorry he’s leaving Bayern Munich. It pains
me to see him leave,” Basler told ‘Doppelpass’ on Sport1. The 57-year-old believes Goretzka would still be a valuable asset to the German record champions, so he urged manager Vincent Kompany to start the 31-year-old in Tuesday’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Basler cannot understand why Goretzka’s teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic was preferred in the holding midfield role as early as the first leg against the French side. In his view, Goretzka is “the more reliable” option and should therefore start in the second leg. He also labelled it “nonsense” for Munich to risk losing the midfielder on a free transfer rather than extending his expiring contract. “I find that incomprehensible. He has all the right qualities, both defensively and offensively. That’s why I can’t understand why they’re letting him go,” the 57-year-old railed against his former club.
Basler’s view of Goretzka has not always been so positive: during a 2018 Doppelpass segment he questioned whether the midfielder could establish himself at Säbener Straße after his move from FC Schalke 04. Goretzka recently recalled a bet he made with coaching legend Peter Neururer in an interview with the club magazine 51.
Basler later changed his view and even apologised to Goretzka, explaining: “I can’t remember that anymore, but I’m allowed to be wrong once in ten years. I made that statement at the time and believed that the move from Schalke to Bayern was simply too big a step. It’s brilliant that he’s ultimately developed so well.”
Timing is everything and Goretzka is coming off of a Man of the Match showing during a 3-3 draw with Heidenheim on Saturday. Should Vincent Kompany ride the hot hand or go with the steady (and often spectacular) Pavlović?
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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