Benfica’s new coach Roger Schmidt doesn’t want to compare Julian Draxler’s commitment to Mario Götze’s commitment during his time at PSV Eindhoven. His rejection of RB Leipzig a few months ago is based on a “principle” of his work.
“We didn’t sign Julian Draxler because it worked great with Mario Götze in Eindhoven, but because we are totally convinced of him,” Schmidt told the “kicker”.
Draxler is a top player, “who gives us more flexibility overall on the offensive,” said the coach. “So it’s not about history repeating itself. It should always be about content, not people.”
Benfica loaned Draxler from French champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday until the end of the season. In Paris, the offensive player no longer had any prospects of playing time. The 28-year-old Draxler became world champion in 2014 like Götze.
Great praise for Mario Götze
Former Leverkusen coach Schmidt has been in charge of the Portuguese since this summer. The 55-year-old previously worked for PSV Eindhoven for two years. He had also worked with Götze in the Dutch club since 2020. The 30-year-old found his old strength again under Schmidt.
“It was a lot of fun for me and I think it was good for him that it was just about football for us, about the joy of the game. He radiated that,” said the coach. Ahead of this season, Götze returned to the Bundesliga and is currently impressing at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Schmidt had a successful start to the season with Benfica. He led the club into the Champions League through the qualifying round, and the capital city club is at the top of the table in the domestic league after five wins in five games.
“Principle” conditional rejection of RB Leipzig
Even before his engagement in Portugal, Schmidt had missed the opportunity to return to the Bundesliga. He rejected RB Leipzig at the end of 2021.
“It is actually a principle of mine and not an option to leave my team in the middle of the season,” said the Sauerland native. “Working together always develops a relationship within the group, connections are made. That’s why I just can’t imagine parting ways with my team within a season.”