Mario Gotze is running out of time to be Germany's saviour once again

Thomas Schneider says Germany have plenty of options on how to play Mario Gotze and Mario Gomez.

Ninety minutes, 66 minutes, 50 minutes: Mario Gotze's time on the pitch at these Euros has steadily eroded in each game, just as Germany have begun to hit their stride. The Bayern Munich attacking midfielder is expected to line up again for the World Cup winners against Slovakia in Lille on Sunday, but he will have to do better -- a lot better -- if he's to last much beyond the half-time break. Increasingly loud calls for the inclusion of Schalke teenager Leroy Sane back home in Germany reflect wide dissatisfaction with Gotze's failure to make a telling contribution in the group stage.
Far from making a huge step toward resurrecting a career that has stalled since his winning goal in the World Cup final two years ago, Gotze has replicated his club form all too faithfully in France. Occasional flashes of brilliance haven't been able to lift his overall game above the mundane; the mercurial boy they once called, quite earnestly, "Germany's answer to Messi" has grown into a man who's playing as if he's shackled by an invisible ball and chain. He's lost both the explosive pace and confidence needed to beat opponents.
How long will Joachim Low continue to keep the faith? The Germany manager has done everything possible to coax strong performances out of the 23-year-old by backing him to the hilt before and during the competition. As soon as Marco Reus pulled out of the national team with an injury on the eve of the tournament, Gotze was installed as an automatic starter. Low publicly professed to trust him to deliver in the national-team dress after yet another difficult season as a bit-part player with Pep Guardiola's Bayern.