Soccer - Funkel takes a critical view: "Don't overtax players"
Long-time Bundesliga coach Friedhelm Funkel is very critical of the situation surrounding the German national soccer team ahead of next year's home European Championship. "When national team coach Julian Nagelsmann was introduced, I was absolutely thrilled when he said he wanted to make everything easier. That's a great approach, but now I have the feeling that the players are being overwhelmed," said Funkel, who turns 70 on Sunday. He cited the idea of Kai Havertz on the left defensive side as an example.
"We have players who have been excellently trained, you can't overload them. You can't dictate everything. The players have to take matters into their own hands," said the record-breaking promotion-winning coach. "We have a lot of good players, but we haven't been able to implement this successfully for a few years now. I see big problems there. Perhaps we need to change our style of play and be more compact," said Funkel. His suggestion: "We need to focus more on the German virtues and also demand this from the players. In the past, these virtues were automatic. If you show fight and passion, the soccer skills come naturally," said Funkel.
Even at 70, the veteran coach is not tired of his job. "I'm not ruling out working as a coach somewhere again," the Neuss native told the German Press Agency. He is spending his birthday with family and friends on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura.
Profile Friedhelm Funkel
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- Despite his criticism, Friedhelm Funkel expresses interest in coaching again in the future, possibly in Germany.
- Julián Nagelsmann's approach to making things easier for the German national soccer team has not been fully executed with success, according to Funkel.
- Funkel, who is from North Rhine-Westphalia, believes that players need to take more personal responsibility on the field to avoid overwhelming them.
- During the upcoming Bundesliga season, Julian Nagelsmann and his team will need to find a more compact style of play to overcome some of the problems Funkel has identified.
- It has been several years since Germany's national soccer team has consistently achieved its full potential, despite having a talented squad, according to Funkel.
- Despite Kai Havertz's talent, Funkel criticizes the idea of him playing on the left defensive side, as it may be too much pressure and responsibility for him to handle.
Source: www.stern.de
