What can be learned from Freiburg
Bundesliga slips back into the coaching quake
By Ben Redelings
09/05/2022, 7:55 p.m
When summer comes and the first leaves fall, so do the trainers. As is always the case at this time of year, the trainers at some Bundesliga clubs are about to be kicked out. But why actually? The current leader of the table clearly shows that there is another way.
Almost eleven years ago, on December 22, 2011, the article on the teletext pages of ran.de was titled “Chaos in Freiburg: SC Hollywood”. According to “Kicker”, as the report said at the time, a large majority of the SC squad had serious doubts as to whether coach Marcus Sorg had the professional qualities to turn things around again after only three wins from 17 games in the first half of the season. Just a week later, head coach Sorg’s time at SC Freiburg was up. The position was taken over by his assistant coach at the time: Christian Streich.
It’s like every year at this time: Only five matchdays have been played in the Bundesliga and already almost a third of all trainers have to worry about their job. And every time the question arises anew, what must have gone wrong in the beginning that everything is now being called into question again in five or six places? Or to put it another way: Is there another way, and is it possible to learn something from SC Freiburg in order to maximize the chances of success?
It’s always surprising how the leaders of the Bundesliga unmask themselves when it comes to coaching. Because the mistakes are obviously not made by the trainers themselves, but in their selection. And apparently the principle still applies: If the partner in question doesn’t fit, we’ll just try the next one. The whole thing has something of a sad throwaway mentality that clearly reveals two things: the lack of effort in the selection in advance and the lack of stamina and standing together in phases of weakness – with one of course causing the other. After all, why should you continue to support a coach who you already think isn’t really the right fit for you and who you can’t stand anymore?
“Too great professionalism” as a reason for termination
Often the whole thing has to do with false expectations. The days told the former Bundesliga player and current coach Dietmar Hirsch about the crazy story of his dismissal as coach of the now defunct FC Sylt. At that time, the board threw him out after the 5th matchday because – be careful – “too great professionalism”. According to the patron, the former professional simply had too much training and placed too little value on socializing after the games. At the time, the desire for sporting success on the part of the trainer and a little romance on the part of the board of directors obviously collided. If we had listened to each other a little better beforehand – this misunderstanding could have been avoided.
Ben Redelings is a passionate “chronicler of football madness” and a supporter of the glorious VfL Bochum. The bestselling author and comedian lives in the Ruhr area and maintains his legendary anecdote treasure chest. For ntv.de he writes down the most exciting and funniest stories on Mondays and Saturdays. More information about Ben Redelings, his current dates and his current book (“60 Years Bundesliga. The Anniversary Album”) is available on his website www.scudetto.de.
After all, with all the negative examples in the league, there are also positive ones. At 1. FC Köln you have the feeling that coach Steffen Baumgart suits this club and the city like no other coach at FC has for a long time. In Bremen the situation seems to be exactly the same. Ole Werner is not compared to club icon Thomas Schaaf for nothing – and he was head coach at Werder for fourteen years, until he had to realize on his subsequent trips to Frankfurt and Hanover that things with Bremen just fit like arse. Bo Svensson in Mainz and Edin Terzic in Dortmund also have the potential to become a permanent, really big solution. And actually the situation at VfL Bochum with its coach Thomas Reis is very similar, but unfortunately the senses seem to be a bit foggy at the moment at a crucial point. Which is a shame, as the example of SC Freiburg shows.
Someone has to be a coach
A success story began eleven years ago in Breisgau, which has a lot to do with the fact that you had and still have the ability to recognize that the combination of coach and club is a very special one. Christian Streich fits this club like no other and at the same time shapes the external image of the club in a special way. The sporting success and reputation of SC Freiburg go hand in hand. And even if things don’t go so well on the pitch, like in the 2014/15 relegation season, you stick together because both sides know what they have in each other. This continuity pays off. You have searched and found each other – and know about the value of each other.
This season, too, there are numerous clubs that have started the season knowing that their coach has not yet found the right pot on the lid. But since someone has to sit on the sidelines, it will inevitably happen that one or the other coach will have to pack his bags again in the next few days and weeks. One can only wish these clubs that they put a little more effort into choosing the next coach. And all clubs that have already been lucky enough to find the right counterpart, only advise to stick together even in difficult times. In the best-case scenario, it will be like SC Freiburg. Eleven years ago the “SC Hollywood” greeted the club from first place in the table to the rest of the league.