4 February 2015
CREATING CHAMPIONS: HOW GERMAN INGENUITY WON THE WORLD CUP
Daniel Gallan
With some of the best players on the planet, Germany threaten to dominate world football for years to come. But it wasn't always the case. Just over a decade ago, Germany were languishing in 22nd place on the FIFA rankings. Thanks to Ulf Schott, Director of Youth Development at the German Football Association, Die Mannschaft now occupy top spot, and aren't showing any signs of moving.
Philipp Lahm hoists the FIFA World Cup trophy after Germany beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Germany were undefeated throughout the tournament, beating Portugal 4-0 and hosts Brazil 7-1 in the process. Action Images/ Jason Cairnduff
There was almost an air of inevitability when Philipp Lahm received the FIFA World Cup Trophy from Sepp Blatter in Rio de Janeiro last year. Joachim Löw’s side may have only won the showpiece by a single goal against Argentina, but they were by far the most accomplished and complete side at the tournament. Their ability to counter at speed was unrivalled. Their passing and finishing was clinical. Their defence was watertight and shielded by the most disciplined midfield going around. It also didn’t hurt that they had the world’s best goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer between the sticks.
As the confetti was falling and champagne was popping, there was one man who must have been smiling a satisfied smile to himself. He would never admit it, too humble is he, but Ulf Schott must have been gratified, at least for that fleeting moment, on a job well done.
“It was the 1998 World Cup in France when the alarm bells started ringing,” explains Schott from his office at the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (German Football Association – DFB) in Frankfurt. “We lost 3-0 to Croatia at the quarterfinal stage and we realised that we needed to implement changes because we wanted to host the 2006 World Cup and have a team we could be proud of.”
Two years later, things went from bad to worse as Germany crashed out of the group stages at the European Championships, losing two games, drawing one, and only scoring one goal.
“For change to happen, it’s important to have historical moments. Historical, emotional moments. I think this is the core of humanity that the most emotional moments are the cause to change something.” It’s easy to get a sense of the holistic understanding and approach Schott and his team adopted in transforming German football.
Football fans, despite having a strong penchant for nostalgia, have surprisingly bad memories. It might be hard to remember a time when Germany’s national side were not feared, such is the future dominance in the sport with which they now threaten. When they crashed out of the respective tournaments in 1998 and 2000, drastic measures were needed. As Schott explains, “We needed to immediately implement the strategies that we had been talking about. We couldn’t allow the downward slide to continue.”
Schott was appointed to head up a team tasked with developing and restructuring youth development within the DFB. Schott, a former second division defender with SV Darmstadt, will be the first to admit he is no coach or skilled tactician. What he was able to do however, was get the right people to walk down the same path together.
He started by looking elsewhere to nations where youth development was successful. The Netherlands, France and Spain ranked amongst the best in Europe and what they were doing there was duly noted. Money that wasn’t there before was made available and the process of a German renaissance could begin.
In 2000, there were 36 u21 players playing in the Bundesliga eligible to play for the national side. Bundesliga clubs were over reliant on foreign exports and as such young local talent couldn’t develop any further than fringe players. The DFB and the professional clubs were at loggerheads over young players. Schott admits that the DFB considered implementing rules that would have forced clubs to play young Germans but why should a coach play a player that doesn’t belong there when his interests are solely invested in the club he runs? Clearly something worked as last year over 80 u21 German players in the league were eligible to play for the national side.
Regional and local coaching centres were set up across the country, with full time and qualified coaches found at every stage of development. The DFB realised that in order for clubs to play locally produced talent, they had to create them at a standard that warranted their selection.
Training sessions went up from 3-4 times a week to 7-8. Training sessions of 11 v 11 were scrapped as they encouraged long balls. 4 v 4 sessions were adopted as young players had more touches of the ball and small, accurate passes became standard. The youth league structure was redeveloped going from 22 leagues for young players to just 3. Schott cites this change as a way of ensuring that top players regularly played against other top players, thus developing their talents in a more competitive environment.
At 366 DFB training centres, the most promising young players are sent to clubs where coaches, who now possess at least a UEFA B licence, can hone and nurture their talent. As Schott points out, “the youth development system is not only a system for scouting talented players, but also for scouting talented coaches as well.” Children between the ages of 8 and 14 are monitored by over 1000 DFB coaches. With so many coaches cutting their teeth on young players, the odds of finding the next Joachim Löw is as high as finding the next Philipp Lahm.
For those who aren’t quite up to the standard required, there is still a safety net. André Schürrle’s development is a prime example of this.
“It’s important that we provide an avenue for those players who might develop later. Schürrle was noticed by the professional clubs but wasn’t as good as the other players when he was young. When he was 16 he had the chance to develop himself at the regional set up with an amateur club and then, once he had developed, he was picked up by a professional club.”
It is this structure that allows players to not abandon all hope of making a career as a professional if their early development does not match their peers. By installing a hierarchy with fewer leagues at the top, and supported by a structure that has a vast scouting network, the DFB and the clubs ensure that no stone is left unturned.
Frank Ribery (second from right) has his shot blocked by two Borussia Dortmund defenders in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final. Both German clubs were managed by German coaches and the match featured 18 German players; a sign of a strong production line from the DFB. Action Images/ John Sibley
“Psychologically it is important for the young player to know that he still has a chance,” adds Schott.
The psychological aspect of the game is another area where the DFB have focussed on, and clearly have gotten right. Players are encouraged to stick within their regional confines and as a result homesickness is not such a challenge for the teenager. Education is also of the utmost importance with every academy required to have a close association with a school.
“Because of the increased training sessions, study time is reduced and that is why education becomes more important,” says Schott. In Germany, 50% of 16 year olds will complete their final year of high school. In the youth academies this number is 70%. Schott believes that it is the holistic approach of the academies which is instilled by the teachers and coaches that accounts for these figures. By developing the young player’s self-confidence on a multifaceted level that is not overly reliant on football, the player can achieve better results across the board. A bad training session or a loss on the field doesn’t hurt as much because the player has other positives to turn to such as good grades or a strong sense of identity. Therefore, challenges on the field can be approached with a clear mind, ensuring better results.
“We implemented new criteria for the youth development centres to have a strong mix of psychological as well as pedagogical assistance and evaluations. It’s important for the players to be able to talk to someone other than their coach who can help them with dynamics outside of football.” Schott also notes that many coaches who are now developing their own skills in the youth academies are former teachers, highlighting this holistic approach that not only creates more technically gifted footballers, but more accomplished and well-rounded humans.
This holistic approach is not merely ideological however. Germany did not become convincing World Cup champions solely as a result of their philosophies. In 2006, Mattias Sammer, 1996 European Footballer of the Year and 2002 Bundesliga winning manager, was appointed as technical director of the DFB. He changed the philosophy of youth development from the “Olympic idea” (where representation at a tournament is sufficient) to a mind-set where the goal of each team, no matter what age, is to win.
“Competition is important in development,” explains Schott. “It is important to have the mentality to win. Of course winning is not the only thing in youth development but with clear goals, development in training can have direction.”
It’s quite clear that what was implemented in 1998 and 2000 has paid off. Mario Götze is 22. Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos and Marco Reus are 25. Centre back partners Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng are both 26, infants for the position they play at the level they do. Bastian Schweinsteiger, the now veteran captain with 108 caps is 30; hardly close to retiring given his role as a deep lying midfielder.
Joachim Löw has an exciting young team at his disposal; both technically gifted and locally produced. The 54 year old (comparatively young himself for an elite manager) has been at the helm of the national team since 2006, a time span that eclipses the vast majority of club managerial reigns. It is an empire in the making with a foundation forged in the youth development programs and elite training centres across the country. As football fans, we wax lyrical about legendary teams such as the Brazilians of the 1970s or the all-conquering Spaniards a few years back. Thanks to Ulf Schott and the men who work with him, we might yet be witnessing the start of something truly dynastic.
Ulf Schott is the Director of Youth Development for the German Football Association (Deutscher Fußball-Bund - DFB) and is largely responsible for the dramatic rise of the national team. Mr Schott will be presenting at our Elite Sport Summit in Cape Town in September where he will discuss in detail how he implemented changes within the federation that has seen such dramatic improvements on the pitch.