Things are currently in flux at the DFB and in German soccer in general. Jürgen Klopp is the new national team coach and is expected to revolutionize the association. Even though there’s a certain sense of optimism in the air, there are still some problems.
Problems that former Bayern star Paul Breitner also recognizes. In an interview with FC Bayern’s club magazine, the former world-class soccer player spoke, among other things, about the state of German soccer and what’s currently bothering him.
And there are certainly a few things that rub Breitner the wrong way. He called for “a completely new approach to the education and training of our children and young people.”
Breitner: “They should develop just as they would outside of soccer.”
What does he mean specifically? “We’ve once again allowed ourselves to be trained to be rigid task-followers on the field. You do this, you do that, you do the other. Without freedom.” And that, he says, is precisely the problem—one that wasn’t—and isn’t—as pronounced in other top nations that have recently been successful.
Breitner also spoke plainly. He called it a veritable “ulcer” that in youth soccer, “too much is copied from the big leagues. Damn it, they should develop just as they would outside of soccer—in line with their talent and their physical capabilities.”
From Breitner’s perspective, it would be “convenient” and “wrong” to say, “The players are all conformists; we need guys with character again.” That’s far too simplistic, he argued; the problems must be addressed in detail and analytically.
These are demands that other experts and former pros have also made in recent months—and they seem to have reached the top brass at the DFB as well. That’s why not only was Klopp appointed as national team coach, but further changes were also implemented. Among other things, Per Mertesacker will replace Andreas Rettig and is expected to help develop young talent.
