Mario Gotze has told ESPN FC that his World Cup triumph with Germany last summer and the arrival of Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich have contributed to his impressive second season at the Bundesliga champions.
Gotze scored the decisive goal for his country in the Rio de Janeiro final against Argentina in July, two months after he won the German league title with Bayern in his first season at the club.
The 22-year-old told Raphael Honigstein how that success has indirectly pushed him further this season, with seven league goals to date and only four teammates starting more games in the competition so far this term.
"A goal like that gives you a sense of satisfaction, of course," he told ESPN FC. "Winning the trophy as well. These are positive experiences that you take with you but for me, what's relevant is being fit, being able to play, being healthy."
"If I can be all these things, the rest -- the goals, the efficiency -- will come by themselves."
The former Borussia Dortmund star also credits the work of Guardiola, the "right coach" for his continued development.
"There's a lot yet to learn from his ideas, from the details he sees on the pitch: the way you move, what you should do, what positions you should take up, how you attack the ball offensively and defensively," he said.
Bayern Munich went undefeated in the Bundesliga through the first half of the season; the Jan. 30 defeat at Wolfsburg was just their third loss in all competitions this season after the German Super Cup defeat to Dortmund on Aug. 13 and a Champions League group stage defeat at Man City on Nov. 25. Much of that form is down to Guardiola's preparation, according to Gotze.
"He tries to help every player individually -- for example, by looking at video analysis, pointing out certain things on the screen and then practicing them outside to make it work, so that every player knows exactly where he as to run, into which positions," he said.
"These are things we wouldn't pick up by ourselves. That's the key thing."
Gotze also noted Bayern's renewed focus for the Champions League this season -- their 2013-14 campaign was memorably ended by Real Madrid in a crushing 5-0 aggregate defeat in the semifinals. The Bayern midfielder is focused on avoiding a similar fate this time around.
"We are well-prepared; we all want to get to the final in Berlin. We need to concentrate and play our game. But it's a long way to go. First, there is [round of 16 opponent Shakhtar] Donetsk. It won't be easy, especially in the first leg away from home. We know that."