Borussia Dortmund Ace Mario Götze Reveals 'Challenge' to Win Over New Boss Lucien Favre

Borussia Dortmund ace Mario Götze has revealed that he faced a challenge to win over his manager Lucien Favre when joined the Bundesliga giants at the start of the season.

Following a dazzling start to his career, which included feats such as scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup Final, and winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles during his first spell with BVB, Götze has struggled in recent years following a underwhelming spell with Bayern Munich, and a difficult time suffering from the debilitating muscle disease myopathy.

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In an interview with Bundesliga, Götze revealed his delight at his recent return to fitness, and said: "It was tough situation (his condition). When you have been playing for a quite a while, you have certain expectations of yourself and you want to play in every game and be successful. It was a tough situation and a new one for me, so it was a challenge to deal with. 

"I have always tried to grow in every situation, regardless of what it is, and simply keep going and keep training and working hard. I wanted to convince the coach that he was making a mistake, at least at the start! I just worked on myself and it was a new challenge to win over the coach. It is good to grow with these things and that’s how I would assess the situation."

BVB are six points clear at the top of the league table, having lost just once in their opening 17 matches. The 26-year-old has featured regularly for his side in recent weeks, and provided two assists in his side's 2-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday. Discussing his new role as a false nine, Götze said: "I like playing this position when it is not a classic forward role.

"I am not somebody who just stands up front and waits for the long ball. I played this playmaking forward role before for the national team and it’s good to be able to come short for the ball and to drop deep to create space in behind. This needs to be a clear role for the number nine and I really like this position. The further forward I play, the better it is for me."