Talk of the town – Is Guardiola to blame for Gotze's stuttering form?

Bayern's Mario Goetze reacts after failing to score during the German first division Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in Leverkusen, Germany, in this May 2, 2015 file photo. [Photo/IC]

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Mario Gotze must have known this better than anyone.

The Bayern Munich player has dominated discussions in German soccer over past weeks, turning his personal career blip into a national crisis.

Few can question the 23-year-old's right to be hailed as German soccer's golden boy, a status only reinforced after scoring the winner in last year's Brazil World Cup final to inspire Germany to victory over Argentina and turn himself into a national hero.

It's natural that Germans have built their hopes on the world champion, who is widely believed to have the potential to eventually become the world's best player, eclipsing the duopoly that has long existed between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

But such a rapid rise to stardom seems to have stalled. Doubts and worries appear to be dogging the youngster whose personal confusion only echoed the club's equally disheartening form seen in the German champion's 5-3 capitulation to Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals.

Instead of standing out, ready to take over from the aging combination of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery, the attacking midfielder has failed to continue his superb form after a shock 2013 transfer from all-time rival Borussia Dortmund where many of the Black and Yellow's loyalists still see him as a defector.

When a team trips up it's usually the coach who finds himself at the center of criticism and Pep Guardiola has. In addition to a wrong to-do list involving the squad, the Catalan is believed to have taken extra responsibility for Gotze's stagnant learning process.

In a display of the prodigy's national importance - retired legends, a Bayern executive, the national squad coach – almost all notable figures in German soccer, openly defend the youngster.

Former Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn even slammed Guardiola for not using Gotze in his correct position in an interview with ZDF.

Gotze has yet to find his position since moving to the Allianz Arena. Acting like the attacking hub on the left under Guardiola's system, the Bavarian native has gradually lost the spontaneity and dynamism as a natural No 10 that had sparkled under Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp's 4-2-3-1 formation.

Guardiola appears to still need time before getting the most out of the Dortmund youth academy product, but it should not have been the reason for some angry Gotze supporters to develop a conspiracy theory that accused the Bayern coach of dashing German soccer's hopes by wasting the youngster's talent.

After ending a successful four-year stint at Barcelona in 2012 that saw an all-conquering "dream team" created, Guardiola took charge of treble-decorated Bayern the following year.

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola reacts during a press conference at the Allianz Arena in Munich in this May 11, 2015 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

Known for his persistent and strong-minded persona, the 44-year-old began his reign with controversial innovations at the club which had previously played in a streamlined German style under former coach Jupp Heynckes, with every player having a specific position.

Now Guardiola tends to deploy players in different positions resembling the Catalan's Barca era when the same formation could make the difference in two matches with flexibly-placed players.

The by-product is frequent rotations, which some critics think are damaging players' confidence.

But a new coach always means a degree of uncertainty and sometimes change can be painful.

Guardiola made his name during his Barca reign as a tiki-taka master. The world knows it. Bayern executives know it. It's not like the Spaniard was a rookie when Bayern hired him two years ago. Despite concerns that highly-skillful tactics may not fit into the Bundesliga, Bayern still chose to risk it.

Gotze is not the first footballer to wax in one system and wane in another. Plus he's even not the one on Guardiola's bucket list. The former Dortmund star's transfer was announced in April 2013 before the Spaniard took the Bayern job.

Former Bayern president Uli Hoeness revealed that the new coach wanted Brazilian attacker Neymar, now with Barcelona, only to be refused by management and accept Gotze as the alternative, according to newspaper Sports Bild.

Just because a player fails to click with a coach's philosophy doesn't mean things have to go so far that anger flares and vitriol flies.

Critics, including former Bayern legend Lothar Matthaeus, also expected Guardiola to give more psychological help to the young player. They made a comparison to German national squad coach Joaquin Low, who famously boosted the goal scorer's confidence by telling him to "show the world you are better than Messi" in the World Cup final.

Guardiola may have never hailed the German international as the world's best – it would be too much to ask the Spaniard to uproot his former Barca protégé - but on many occasions the Bayern coach has openly voiced his support and denied speculation about Gotze's exit.

With a year left on his Bayern contract and constant rumors linking him to other leagues, Guardiola insisted that he would stay. If the Catalan-German apprenticeship continues at the Allianz Arena next season, at least they deserve a second chance.