Götze under pressure for Dortmund in Alcacer absence

It's a good thing Mario Götze tends to thrive under pressure. Borussia Dortmund visit Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday under a consideable amount of it and Götze will be feeling the heat more than anyone. 

Following a run of frustrating domestic results, Lucien Favre's side know anything but a win in the Czech capital could seriously harm their chances of progressing to the knockout stages. With Barcelona and Inter Milan for competition in Group F, points against the supposedly weakest side in the group can't be squandered.

It's just as well, then, that Slavia are known to be particularly hard to break down and Paco Alcacer - a classic poacher who could find room to shoot in an Oktoberfest tent - has been ruled out with Achilles problems. Over to you then, Mario.

The 27-year old tends to be called upon, as he has throughout Favre's tenure, only when Alcacer requires a break. He was drafted in at the weekend so the Spaniard could rest up for European duty. Götze found the net as Dortmund drew 2-2 at home to Werder Bremen. It was telling, though, that he was replaced by Alcacer shortly after Bremen equalized, with the clock ticking and Dortmund in need of a matchwinner. 

Götze finds himself at a strange stage in his career, with just 10 months left to run on his contract and no offer of fresh terms forthcoming. A situation that would have been deemed incredible just a few years ago barely warrants the raise of an eyebrow today.

He's obviously declined – in terms of quality and fitness – since the glorious title-winning days of the Jürgen Klopp era, when there was no telling just how good he might become, but there are other reasons he's found himself on the outside looking in over recent seasons.

For a start, Götze is one of a number of German internationals to emerge in the last decade that never really settled into one position. What is he exactly? Is he better as a false nine or an attacking midfielder? Should he be deployed deeper or could he be used out wide?

Thomas Müller of Bayern Munich has long prompted similar head-scratching. Julian Draxler: midfielder, winger or 10? Is Joshua Kimmich a right back or a midfielder? At some stage a decision should be made not least to help the player develop his game and allow him to explore the outer limits of his skillset.

His goal-scoring record for Borussia Dortmund is that of an attacking midfielder. Forty-three goals in 202 appearances is more than respectable, but how many of those came as a striker and how many from further back?

Two of his three apearances this season have come as a replacement for Alcacer at center forward. He can function there but, were Alcacer ruled out for a prolonged period, could he genuinely be relied upon to hit 20 goals from now to the end of the season? A Borussia Dortmund striker should be. 

The hard truth is, with the abundance of talent Favre has to pick from behind the striker, Götze is unlikely to get chances in what was once considered his best position, meaning his hopes of earning a new deal at Dortmund depend on his goal-scoring feats between now and the end of the season.

Chances might be few and far between but he has a golden opportunity against Slavia Prague on Wednesday night. Find the back of the net, and he may influence Favre's thinking beyond merely the next few games. Fail to do so – and, heaven forbid, Dortmund don't get all three points – and there's a very good chance he could be bumped down to Plan C overnight.