Götze revival

What a crucial week it has been for Mario Götze. Seven days ago, the Bayern Munich attacking-midfielder opened his account for the season, scoring the first in a 2-0 win over Stuttgart.

Then on Wednesday, he bagged a brace, sending a firm message to newly-promoted SC Paderborn who briefly sat atop of the Bundesliga throne with Bayern's crown wobbling on their head.

On matchday six, he continued his run of form - breaking the deadlock at Cologne to send Bayern on their way to Pep Guardiola's 50th win in charge of the club. While other sources of creativity have dried up, Götze has performed like a completely different player in recent games.

Guardiola spoke publicly of his "admiration" for the 22-year-old this week. The change in Götze, perhaps, is a mental rather than a physical one. Either way, it will be a welcome boost for Bayern ahead of a return to Champions League action next week.

Turning a new page

For a while now, the German international has been the subject of criticism from all angles, even when Bayern were marching to another league title last season. His ability has never been in question - but his focus and application have regularly been a point of concern.

Maybe it's the hype after his high-profile move from Borussia Dortmund to Bavaria; maybe it's the audacity of wearing a rival sponsor's shirt on his unveiling at the Allianz Arena - or even the longer, condensed spells in the game where he isn't weaving past opponents.

Either way, he might just be the teacher's pet at Bayern Munich. He's the archetypal Pep Guardiola footballer - a complete player in all the elements. He has an outstanding appreciation of the ball and a seemingly malleable tactical brain.

When Guardiola has focused attention on exploiting overloads in wide positions with Franck Ribery or Arjen Robben, Götze has suffered. But the evolution of this side over the summer has led to Götze's playing characteristics becoming a more prominent part of the play. He's not a winger, nor a wide-midfielder. Given the similarities, perhaps he's just Bayern's version of "Özil syndrome".

With Ribery only now making his first steps towards full recovery, Götze has stepped into the Frenchman's shoes - but in a manner that really counters the style of Bayern last season. "Götze perhaps fits Pep Guardiola's philosophy a bit more (than Ribery)," Franz Beckenbauer told Munich's TZ last week.

"He's always looking for the combination, gets his team-mates involved and passes the ball quickly. Mario is an amazing talent, but he didn't really show what he can do yet last season. He has to up his game and become more consistent," added Beckenbauer.

A changed player

Götze has evidently been reading those newspaper inches. The midfielder's four goals in three matches have been decisive in Bayern Munich continuing their steady start to the season. Given that he netted 10 goals overall in the league last season, the World Cup winner is already closing in on matching his tally, and he's doing it with a new-found self-confidence.

Maybe it's the 113th-minute winner in Brazil to clinch Germany's fourth World Cup that did the trick. "When you come to Bayern at the age of 21," Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said to TZ during the week, "you are obviously not at the peak of your career just yet."

"You have to give a young player like him the time to adapt to his new surroundings," added Rummenigge.

Maybe it's as simple as that - the change in style from working under Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund to the incessant demands of Guardiola and 24-time champions Bayern. Whatever it is, something has changed in the young star. In recent weeks, Götze has brezeed around the Allianz Arena turf like a self-asserting player who is aware of his game-changing capabilities.

Bayern's number 19 is truly growing into the role of playing for a club with the stature and prestige of Bayern Munich. This is almost a second breakthrough season for the 22-year-old, and if he can shrug off that enigmatic status that he gained since moving South, he's bound to be one of the world's biggest footballing stars.