Looking back on 2014, the triumph in Rio is of course the biggest thing to take away from it, and that goes for Oliver Bierhoff as well. The DFB-Team general manager and 1996 European Champion is now a World Cup winner too. But what’s on the agenda for 2015? How much demand is the academy and how much will football profit from it? In this week’s big DFB.de interview with editor Steffen Lüdeke, Oliver Bierhoff looks back at a great year and looks ahead to big goals. DFB.de: Mr. Bierhoff, the Germany national team was named the “Team of the Year” on Sunday evening. Congratulations! Oliver Bierhoff: Thank you, on behalf of the whole team. They’ve more than deserved this accolade. Not just because they won the title in Brazil, but because the players and the team as a whole were fantastic ambassadors for Germany. We became more liked across the globe and we can all be proud of that. We were Germany’s Team of the Year in 2010 as well, but to win it as World Champions is something I consider a huge honour and distinction. DFB.de: The World Cup success was anything but a quick process, but the DFB-Team haven’t shaped an era just yet. Is there something missing for you to be completely satisfied? Bierhoff: Well, if you look at the success purely from a marketing perspective, then the title itself, the fourth star, is at the forefront. But I think there’s more to the success than just the title. The team have achieved a great deal; they’ve left more behind than a fourth star. The success in Brazil wasn’t just a sporting one. The team have shaped something: We moved and influenced people both across the globe and back home with the way we acted and performed. Germans were happy that these lads make up the national team. Not just because they won the games, but because they feel that the players have represented them well. The people of Germany could fully identify themselves with the team and its players. I think that has a tremendous value and the team have shaped that. DFB.de: So is the national team’s general manager a very happy one at the end of 2014? Bierhoff: How can I put it? I am totally, 100 percent happy. DFB.de: No constraints? Bierhoff: You can always criticise something. We know that the transition from the World Cup to EURO 2016 qualifying didn’t go as smoothly as it could have done. I would have been delighted to see us take the buzz from Brazil with us to Europe and spoiled our fans with spectacular football. But we weren’t able to do that against Poland and Ireland. There are some positive aspects to it though. After our rocky start to the qualifying campaign for the European Championship in France, we became aware that we had to mix things up and come up with new ideas in certain areas. But I would also say that we shouldn’t look into those games too much. At the end of 2014, I’m very content with how the past twelve months have gone. DFB.de: Which event was more important for the future of the DFB: The title in Brazil or the decision for the DFB Academy? Bierhoff: From a purely factual point of view, the DFB Academy. It will take the Association and what it can achieve to a new level. The DFB will be able to occupy new fields. The academy puts us in a better position to improve football even more. It lays the foundations for long-term success. The academy has benefitted from our success in Brazil though, so it’s hard to separate the two and place more worth on one or the other. The fourth star has given the entire Association momentum and the title in Brazil also helps the DFB financially in terms of implementing this and other projects. DFB.de: You’ve put a lot into making the DFB Academy a reality. Your intentions are for the DFB to be recognised and sought after worldwide as an institution for football development. Bierhoff: That has to be the goal, particularly in Germany, because it states in the DFB constitution that our job is to obtain knowledge about football and pass it on. We have an obligation to the regional associations and football in Germany as a whole to do that. The academy has to be an idea factory, a place where the future of football can be moulded. We have to provide the best conditions for our coaches, educators and developers – only then can the DFB grow. I’m utterly convinced that we will be able to do that and then we can increase the appeal of the Association – for sponsors as well. I think that there is huge potential in a lot of areas. DFB.de: One of those areas is data collection. The “Match Insights” system was already put to use during the World Cup in Brazil. What exactly is behind it all? Bierhoff: We’re only at the beginning of that process. With SAP, we’re able to collect the data from all our providers in order for the players to digest it. That is made possible through a communications app which allows us to provide the players with specially prepared information and statistics about the opponents or about their own performance. “Match Insights” is a tool that contains all matches split up into various and, depending on the player, relevant scenes. It allows our players to make an independent analysis and prepare for the game in a way that they would normally require a scout to do. It improves their knowledge and understanding and leads to them being surprised less often during matches. DFB.de: Will you take on advanced training yourself? Bierhoff: At every opportunity. I’m especially thankful and open to expand my horizons. Every discussion with an interesting personality is a small but of training to me. You have to communicate if you want to develop. And I really like doing that. DFB.de: Joachim Löw has spoken about the task that faces managers or deploying the team differently. The World Champions want to go that extra step anyway, that the manager will set for them. Which tasks will dominate 2015 from the perspective of the manager of the national team. Bierhoff: The most important thing will be to bring together what has been too far apart for a long time: The youth team and the senior side. We have to approach all age groups with a single philosophy and not just work with matters on the pitch. It’s a big task and a big challenge. We’ll do our best. And we’ll embed this in the building of the structure of the academy. The composition with Hansi Flick as Sporting Director of DFB is a good thing for this. He’s the perfect link for the fusion of the various teams and interest inside of DFB with his vitality. Another important task for 2015 also stands along with that – that’s to prepare for EURO 2016 in France. I went there recently and had a look at a few potential base camps. DFB.de: Is France a home game for you? Bierhoff: I only played there shortly, for just six months or so. You could perhaps call it a home game if the Euros were to take place in Italy. DFB.de: Who well do you know the language? Bierhoff: French? I know a lot but don’t speak it often. Six months was too short for it. But we’ve already made a pact with Andy Köpke and Thomas Schneider to work on our language skills up until the Euros. DFB.de: As General Manager, you’re responsible for the marketing of DFB team. Various studies have shown amazing support and image values of the players and the team. Which areas have the most potential for marketing in your opinion? Are the World Cup winners as present abroad as they should be? Bierhoff: No, it will be tough to change this. I’ll very much look forward to actively planning a tour abroad for the senior side. I think that the USA trip in 2013 had a major impact internally. Players and representatives made the trip good and moved together as a team in the USA in 2013. Our presence abroad was very helpful for our perception abroad. I know the limits though for 2015 and that there’s not enough free time in our calendar. Therefore it’s not realistic to plan a long trip far abroad for the coming year. DFB.de: How important are the transition years for the success in the tournament years? How important was 2013 for 2014? Bierhoff: The team develop from game to game. Our friendlies were often criticised but they all have the upmost value. For the players to gain experience, for coaches, to obtain observations and see new players. These all paid off in the long term. This time period, we need these players to take the team to the next level. We can lay the foundation in 2015 for a possible title in 2016. DFB.de: What wishes do you have for the coming year? Bierhoff: Fitness is of course the main priority. And the time. For the people, who are important to me and the things that are important to me. On the pitch, I’d wish the senior side to comfortably qualify for the Euros and for DFB that we take the momentum from 2014 with us as an association and make the correct decisions for the future of football in Germany in 2015.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 18:44:53 +0000
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