It seems like everybody in German football is talking about a new generation of coaches. Are they really out to revolutionize the game with their modern methods? Or is it still the same old game?Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann and Domenico Tedesco, who have been described by some as “concept coaches” or “laptop coaches,” represent a new generation of German bench bosses. Their recipe for lasting success? Meticulously planned training sessions and game plans that are specific to each opponent. That’s not to mention tactical superiority.
Not a bad start, if one is to believe the attributes that have been projected on them by the media actually apply. But could it simply be that Germany’s most popular sport needs new heroes to maintain its popularity with the fans?
Similar career paths
There are a lot of similarities in how Nagelsmann and Tedesco have developed as coaches so far. Both finished top of their class when they completed the football coaching course at the German football association (DFB) in 2016. Both worked for Hoffenheim, where Nagelsmann, 30, was promoted to coach of the club’s first team in the Bundesliga, while Tedesco, two years his senior, toiled in the youth academy.
And both have been critical of the hype surrounding young coaches in the Bundesliga in recent months. Tedesco is crystal clear on the issue.
‘Not a game-plan designer’
“I do not find it all that cool when my team and I are described as professors and ‘game-plan designers.’ Of course it’s very important to me that my team has goes out there with a certain idea and we always look for weaknesses in our opponents. It’s all about winning,” the 32-year-old, who was appointed as Schalke’s head coach at the start of this season, conceded.
Tedesco also played down the level of his influence he has on the team’s performance.
“You can have all the great ideas you want, but if we don’t run hard, don’t get stuck in on the tackles, if we’re sloppy with the ball, then the best-laid plans and ideas won’t work, and you’ll lose games,” he said.
From obscurity to prominence
The head coaching instructor at the DFB, Frank Wormuth, knows all about the media hype surrounding young coaches, but he is quick to point out that this is not an entirely new phenomenon in the Bundesliga.
“It has always been the case that, if he his is successful, the coach gets a lot of praise, ” Wormuth said.
Nagelsmann and Tedesco have been the quickest of the new generation of coaches to rise from obscurity to prominence.
“Then you have to get used to dealing with the public,” the DFB’s head instructor said.
On one point, Wormuth agrees with Tedesco: “Tactics are a very important facet of a game, even if they are often overrated. The reason is simple, it’s still a human being who has to perform and implement the tactics on the field.”
Quiet criticism
Not all members of the coaching fraternity are thrilled by all the media attention being focused on the sudden rise of these shooting stars. Veteran coaches Friedhelm Funkel (Fortuna Düsseldorf) and Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich) both recently noted that “football itself has not changed that much.”
“This is true. My goal is not to revolutionize football, it’s always about getting the best out of the team and focusing on the players’ own strengths,” Tedesco said, while also expressing sympathy for the sentiments of his two more experienced counterparts.
“I can understand why they would say something like that,” he said. “There may be a lot of new terms in football, but they actually describe things that have long been familiar.”
Growing expectations
Markus Raab, performance psychologist at the German Sport University Cologne, describes how their public perception effects young coaches.
“The short shelf life [of coaches] in the Bundesliga and the dependence on results means that one’s image can change very quickly. The demands [of the job] have also increased. The coaches need to balance their own expectations with those imposed upon them from outside, and that adds to their stress “Raab said.
The demands on the coaches have increased because football is constantly evolving – albeit only in nuances. Therefore, a coach’s job description has changed and the influence of sports sciences on his job has increased significantly.
As a result of this evolution, new terms such as Gegenpressing or ‘transitions’ have come into the game and the players are more inquisitive and critical of their coaches than ever before. However, the basics of the game, such as receiving the ball, dribbling, tackling and even team spirit remain the same as they ever were.
The job of these new, young, coaches, is to find a way of combining the tried and trusted ways of the past with modern training methods and tactics – while at the same time presenting this combination to the public with as much conviction as possible.
