Goals a priority for Gomez

October 30, 2009

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez has promised to fight to win back the faith of coach Louis van Gaal, letting his goals speak louder than words.

Gomez, signed for 30million euros in the summer, has failed to emulate the success he had over the past three years with his former club Stuttgart, but he knows the only way to prove the critics wrong is by hard work.

“I will do my best and continue to give it all I have got in training and convince the coach that way,” he said.

“I am a striker who is synonymous with scoring goals, and that will also be the case in the future.”

Gomez has sat on the bench for Bayern’s last seven matches and admits it has been harder than he first imagined getting used to a new way of playing in Munich.

Furthermore, he has struggled as opponents set out to frustrate Germany’s most successful club.

“Our opponents play against us in a different manner,” he told the Bild newspaper.

“Against Bayern, they all play so defensive, like I remember earlier only from cup games against smaller opponents who would stick every man behind the ball.

“Of course I have got to adapt my game, but I won’t become a completely different type of player.”

And the Germany striker insists Van Gaal is helping rather than hindering his progress.

“He has explained to me that the positions I run into are not right,” he added. “I have certainly understood him very well.

“I don’t need any sympathy, no 100,000 pats on the back to say that I am a great striker.

“To score goals, you need to feel wanted and I have now got to try and win that back.

“I don’t have a guaranteed starting berth just because I cost so much money – that’s ridiculous.

“I am responsible for what happens to me, nobody else. Of course I am not happy at the moment and people are certainly not enjoying Gomez very much, but I have got to win back their faith.”

Gomez scored 24 times for Stuttgart last season, but has found the back of the net only three times since joining their Bundesliga rivals Bayern.

Abhimanyu Rajput