Heiner Backhaus: «Alemannia Aachen could be the club for the next 10 years of my life»

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🌟 Get ready to meet my special guest today, Heiner Backhaus – a former professional football player with an amazing journey that took him around the world. He played for well-known clubs like Hannover 96, Arminia Bielefeld, Union Berlin, Kickers Offenbach, Valletta, Kitchee and Al-Ettifaq FC.

⚽️ Now, he’s the head coach of Alemannia Aachen, a well respected German club in the 4th league, currently fighting for promotion.

Some of the topics we discussed:

👉🏻 his experiences that shaped him to the person he is today

👉🏻 his time in the academy of FC Schalke 04 and Werden Bremen

👉🏻 playing football around the world

👉🏻 challenges he overcame

👉🏻 his coaching philosophy

👉🏻 his recent success with Aalemania Aachen

⚽ If you are an athlete or former athlete and you face a challenge during or after your career contact me here: https://podball.gr/en/product/sessions-with-christos/

📖 If you are an athlete, a parent of an athlete, a coach, a player representative or even someone interested in moving abroad get the “Winning Abroad” here: https://podball.gr/en/product/winning-abroad/

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🎥 Leonidas Loggidis

I never forgot what we did to just to play not to to win we had no physiotherapist so we had to be always smart we had to always communicate when something starts with the muscles we we stop the training because there was no help and I watch left and right in the

Streets the bus stops I see people who go to work and they work 8 hours a day for for a thread of the money I take I can completely enjoy what I’m doing that’s the most important to me to be always thankful that your job is your

Hobby I just watch the Players a little bit and um see how they move in the Bo and I was like sure said how is possible players so fit so strong they let the old people in This Club carry all the material and all the bags for the

Players and that is the first time in the club I’m working now that I feel completely home and I can feel completely and the missing piece in this puzzle where he goes his success because he implements that if he’s in one club like Manchester United where the things

A bit different why he’s not the strong man why he’s not the strong philosophy behind him and the people who who back him up you know he will find it difficult to influence the superstars you know what the moment where the things change because we have a fantastic team with good players with

Big talents the talent is not enough because a single player touches the ball a minute or two in the game and 88 Minutes Or 89 minutes he’s off the ball so I think this time is much more important than the one minute when he has the ball and now we have the

Preseason where we can even work harder on the on the physical things on the Tactical things next week in Turkey if we keep humble if we look from training to from game to game and not only see the final goal because that’s a big mistake to always see the final goal see every

Day give your best be the best version of yourself and then I think you have a big chance to win the league be yourself never copy someone influence yes never copy in coaching life if you are not the Y Club don’t copy y Club also in

Coaching life if you like to see Gua but you can’t transmit it don’t play Guardiola happy 2024 everyone and Welcome to our brand new pball episode my name is Christos papad dimitriu a professional athlet and the founder of pball Our Guest today is a former professional football player who is

Actually one of the few people I know who played the sport in so many countries he played for clubs such as Hanover 96 Armenia bfield Union Berlin kiers ofenbach and valeta among others he’s currently the head coach of Alania aen a German club that competes in the

Fourth League so Hana welcome to pball how are you thank you very much for this nice introduction my old friend so haa what do I need to know about you in terms of influences and the experiences that made you the person you are today oh I could tell you 10 hours about this

No first I think influence always starts from the childhood from the from the experiences from the parenting of course mother father brothers and and and Friends obviously but I think my whole life I I completely um gave to football you know so my my influences are

Mostly uh teammates um I didn’t have the most easy childhood to be honest you know with many loss and everything so I I focused a lot of football so I want to not to mention names of coaches but I had very um very important coaches to me

Especially when I was a young player and yeah I grew up in one area in Germany where it’s called wab be it’s a working area so there was nothing beside football and hard work so football was like a second religion to the people so so we we got very early to know how

Important uh the weekend is how to how to if you lose or win makes a big impact to the week so I would say I I um yeah the biggest influence in my life is football so let’s take a look at your sporting Journey as a young athlete as

You said you were born and raised in Germany and you did your first steps in great academies such as sh and verder Breman what do you remember from these years it was a complete different time you know I would say it was uh it was more difficult to uh to come out from

The academy and to arrive the professional level because um until you are 16 17 nobody cares for you a lot that time was very tough you know it was it was good in the Retro perspective it was better to be honest but it was very difficult and yeah as I start in Shala

When I was very young it was the club who gave me all my mentality till today you know because it was in this in this Golden Years where you start to learn the the values of life and shal is for me the club where you will never lose

The ground under your feet so I’m more happy for this part of of value than about the football things like tactic and conditioning and technique you know so I I I’m the person from Shala and then yeah I went to V BR complete different area of Germany complete

Different mentality and I felt like a foreigner the first time you know although it’s the same country but they have a different pronunciation of German and they are more like cold people meanwhile shal is a club of big emotions you know so it was the first time I was

Confronted to be alone also without my friends without my uh my parents and yeah it was um it was completely controversial but it’s it’s it’s good always to to have also bad experience not always good experience so I think the academy is the most important time

For your whole life because in this in this generation you learn the values and that’s that’s carries you all the life I saw while I was getting ready for this interview that you have a very interesting CV why did you change so many times because I saw you played for you

Played for Germany you played for Cyprus you played for Malta you you went to to China you went to Saudi Arabia some changes that okay we do see them now but that was I guess 15 years ago it was some transfers were a bit harder to be made so why are these

Changes it’s a question um a lot of people ask me you know because they have prejudices and they say are you jumping around clubs and everything but uh to be honest the the pure football was never enough for me I always like to to learn

In life and I learn a lot I love to learn languages you know now I’m able to speak six seven languages so that helps me also in my daily work as a coach as you can imagine so um I see the world as as whole the the limits and borders of a

Country they they are made from humans so why I shouldn’t go over this you know and football in every country the pitch is 105 M and 68 M wide so why I shouldn’t go somewhere else if I’m not good enough to play in Bundesliga I think my biggest

Mistake was I was too slow not mistake my biggest deficit was I was too slow so um football turned faster every year and um I I couldn’t COPE in speed so I had always two options to drop the level in Germany to play for the second

Bundesliga as I did or to play in first division in other countries so they all they got the more experience you have the less fear you have to move abroad and I played in fantastic countries and I always keep on saying I learned more abroad than I did learn in Germany so

Far so I’m very happy with my CV although of course the the people always ask me this type of questions and they have this negativity in the in the question but I see it as a positivity and thanks God the life changed and today in the clubs where I used to play

Play players as Henderson and Coach like Jah and when I was playing that the people used to laugh about me you know and um now the the whole life turned faster and I can say I used to play for the same clubs as these big names to now

And what do you remember from these times I mean one of these clubs in Mal you were Champion with valeta before you moved to or you to Saudi Arabia you moved afterwards the first the first station I brought was Cyprus you know and they always say that is one of the most

Important um yeah things in life I always tell young players you know when I went to Cypress I was financially a little bit broke to be honest because I I I I used to a lot of money as a young player in hanova I used

To spend a lot on big cars and nice houses and uh yeah I love the life beside the football pitch and yeah that cost a lot of money obviously so when you when you move abroad and and you start zero you you land hard sometimes you know and there was there was an

Incident where I used to sleep in one hotel the club um took me out of the contract and I I didn’t know where to go so so I stayed in my apartment I couldn’t pay the rent so I used to sleep a couple of nights uh in one Rooftop Bar

And uh and try to escape before the first people in the morning come back to this hotel when there the breakfast start there so it was a little bit this um this big influence on my my time so money had a different um valuation for the for me after this moment so when

Then comes the opportunity to go to to Saudi Arabia of course it has economic reasons that no doubt and yeah I I was a better player also after this because I was much more serious from that moment and now there were also tragic moments you know you you forgot Lebanon I was

For a couple of months player Lebanon you can’t find it unfortunately on transfer market as I was just playing in the Asia league and not in the in the local competition as in the local competition could participate two foreigners and three could play in Asia

And um yeah the boy who always picked me up from my hotel and and and drove me back home was a German lianes and he was a translator for me and he um yeah he died by with a bomb attack after after a couple of months when I left because the

Civil war broke out and there was a lot of car bombing and everything suicide bombs and that was some something what stays in my head till now but I would say much more the positive influences I won leagues I won cups I won best play

Awards I I um yeah I enjoy it a lot I I’m happy for my career and I don’t want to change even of course sometimes people speak bad or blah blah for me it’s not important I’m the person I’m I’m happy with that I never stole I

Never took drugs I never cheat on people so I’m happy you’re as I said you’re a very interesting personality not just because of the things you have lived but also the way you are living your life and I recently wrote a new book that is the that is called winning abroad and I

Basically put all the information that an athlete needs before he moves to another country as I did and of course as you did of course we didn’t have someone to tell us we have to experience those things on our own but you as I said you’re the perfect example because

You have overcome so many challenges you speak six to seven languages and having travel the world and looking now like mean today these experiences they make you so capable of adapting into different environments so definitely how how would you say what a player that comes to Germany let’s say what would be

The essential starting points for a smooth transition I always keep on saying the the open mind to learn the language and to understand the culture is the most important because as you open the people will be open to you when you are closed and narrow-minded and uh just listen to

To foreign music because uh you see this quite often you know I don’t want to give bad examples but when I moved abroad I always completely opened my heart to the people also I wanted to know about the history of the country about the politic situation about the

Economic situation about um about the club in their history I wanted always to meet the fans and to understand how important is this for them and it’s about um how much interest you are in people as you are interested in people they’re interested in you if you just go

I see many sou Americans with the mate they come with the mate with the water and they go with this okay they can they can show that they’re from Argentina from Brazil or from Uruguay but finally um I think um um you have to open up a

Little bit you know and you have to be you you have to be always the best version of yourself and for this you have to open and I was quite open as I was always alone I never played with the second German player in China or in or

In Malta or in in Cyprus I was always alone so I needed to learn the language and especially in hot countries where you have a lot of time in hotels together like in Saudi Arabia we went for one months of preseason and I was with a Arabic guy in the room he was

Praying five times a day so also in the night and of course you have to understand him and and that helps me quite better today because I know how they think about life and what’s what’s their value of religion so I’m happy for that and um when you run around with

Open eyes always the things come easier to you as you close them and um that time also um when I went abroad there was no time for Facebook no Instagram no even no Skype back then so no WhatsApp so I had to take the phone call to to

Call my friends and the minute from from China cost me like6 EUR so it’s better not to call so long so it’s better to to to settle down where you are and try to see every day everything in the new country where you are I think that helps

You absolutely and I guess you also made a lot of friends by being by having this mindset friends is sometimes the situation what is a friend and what is not a friend of course you you have always um a good um way into the heart of the people when you openminded too

When you invite them to your house they will invite you to to their house if you have this mentality it’s like that and of course you keep the contact and um yeah I love it I love to see people turning from from young players to to

Professionals I used to play with P soio he was like 18 years when he was in olympos nikosia now he’s he’s a national player he’s he’s a superstar Hy he played in many countries in Champions League also in house in Japan and or see the trans information from from many

Players to coaches or to sport directors so we have a big Network we are we are I don’t want to say friends but they know what they get when when they sign me and I know what I get when when I sign them or when I will work with them and that’s

The most important and that comes you also a little bit down because um today to to find a job as a coach is not so easy as there’s only one position in the club with this with this um yeah exercises you have to do and with this responsibility so um yeah you can

Compete in this market if you don’t have Network and not this confidence also to make use from that you know is there any funny story you remember from you as a as a German player coming for example to Saudi Arabia or to China is there something that you are still in when

When you think back when you think back about this time it’s like is is it something fun is it still something that is a lot a lot I can tell you a lot and when I was young I was a little bit more more also into n life into more into

More action and about everything you know so of course I don’t want to spread this year but I can tell you a very funny story and it’s so so funny I went when I went to to Hong Kong and arrived in Hong Kong I was thinking I I moved to

One British colony so I heard from everyone in Hong Kong the people speak fluid English you know and when I arrived in the airport there was no one picking me up actually you know I was alone there I was a bit lost and I had just one small information where I have

To go there was an address but I couldn’t read Chinese so how I should tell them you know so no problem and there was no Google Translation back then I no there was no Google Translation so I went into one taxi and I was going in the front of this taxi

But the taxi driver was pretending I should go behind it because in China they they sit in front so no problem and he asked me where I want to go and um he did this like where do you want to go and I said I want to go to the Regal

Oriental Hotel K City do you speak English like this okay so he was asking with a microphone his company you know and then someone was able to speak English and asked me this and I tell him I want to go to the Regal Oriental Hotel Kon City and then he said he he

Translate this to the taxi driver so he said like what wait hold on I was writing down everything you was saying because that is my address for the whole year was there you know so the next time I went to the taxi I could be drunk I

Could be everywhere I was I was completely back in the tax he was looking at me you know like that it was it was a funny thing but a lot of more I mean you know in in China that time you can score a goal if it was

A flick shot that would clap like that but if you do for example a bicycle kick somewhere in the midd line for nothing they oh they will celebrated you know it’s completely different you know it’s it’s completely different life or in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia also was was

Was was was quite funny but it was also sad because the coach took a lot of commission from the players you know to sign the players and you have to pay the coach and the next day the coach is away and no one knows where he is and then

He’s home you know and then a lot of I saw a lot of things in football to say like that they are funny now in the perspective now being 42 years but in that moment there were were sh I think it was also a good a good life story to

Um to continue to continue believing to continue working even with all this funny things what happened around you unprofessional and you know I saw everything and of course you learn from both sides if something bad happens you can also learn from it and don’t do

Don’t do it again you know in in German we have a word called deut deut you know deut is in English let me say this humility humility hum that in Spanish and and this means that that you are just a small piece on this planet into born

Into something much bigger you know and when you see yourself in this I don’t want to say you are not small and you don’t have to have to be always but but you have to see that there are much more important things in life if you get your

Salary on time if the pitch is always in the best condition if you start to play first 11 if you have a small injury the these are things which which belong to football and I think the the more experience you you have the less nervous you get when things like that happen and

They can happen even today so would you suggest to a football player to to take his chance and try his his lack abroad always the best way of communication is on the pitch because when you score goals or when you defend well or when you are professional you

Have the the life is much easier to be honest when you win games that’s always changing the complete life if you can be the best player in a losing team you are nothing because the people who see your performance they they finally see the scores and results the weekend so I

Think you have to be you have to be tip toop prepared physically in every training you have to show in every training why they sign you from abroad why they bring you to this country and um sometimes you go to countries where the local players have not the same

Level as in Germany or in Austria or England you have to respect that but you can never adapt to that level that’s their level and you are not there for their level you are there to increase their level so you learn to take respons ability for yourself and also for the

Teammates you have because that’s a very important thing also you know especially leader leadership you know as a as a player so important in other countries to uh to to communicate in the pitch and tell and participate let them participate from your experience and from from your potential especially for

Players who play in the middle of the pitch you have to communicate therefore you have to learn the language there you have to gain the respect of the people first that happens from from performance so I think the performance always opens every door and when the door is open you

Have to have the right humility to be every day the best player in in in the best way possible for this team that they can never say ah he comes and now after three good games he he’s lazy that’s what happened to me in in Cyprus

I was the first three games from this German training from this German Drew completely focused and then in Cyprus the things go fast you know they they measure you in points and after three games I had like 27 points so 10 was the best grade you can take and I had 27

After three games so I went out to Ayan Napa I I spent the money and I got lazy and I didn’t feel it because I was better than the local players but over long periods when the level came together they they didn’t respect me as I have been the player in the beginning

And that I can just I can just tell especially to players who go first time abroad never be sure that with one good game you are completely safe every day hard work every day head down humility be be the first in training be the last in training show them that you are more

Professional than them if if you in in a smaller country or at least that you have the complete focus on being a football player you know and when you I played in countries where also there was a holiday uh country Cyprus is a holiday country Mal is a holiday country never

Go to the beach public never let never show yourself there um be careful in night life um you know that’s that’s that’s that’s very important because the people will respect you for the player you are and for the person you are but never for for the night left and for the

Body at the beach MH I see that’s also very nice message for all these players who are going to try their luck abroad and uh another chapter now I would definitely like to dive in it’s the coaching part of your life you have been now coaching different clubs for

The last 10 years if I’m not mistaken I had the the luck to be also a player of yours we have seen a lot of coaches starting their careers in established in established clubs however you are the only coach I know who founded his club that is called of course International

Li and that’s also where where I was coach by you so what was this experience like for you and how did it contribute to the saving the coach you are today you know coaches today and coaches 20 years or 30 years ago always started in

In in in small teams or in small clubs today is different today the coaches they start being a coach even the in the age where they can still play today you have coaches who never played football that was in my time impossible to be honest you know when I played so when I

Found this club um I took a lot of experience from the things also what is what what do you need to be a club um the infrastructure the the economical point the taxes the all the things around the team and and this is this was

The best U there was it was like a university for being a football manager what I what they experienced there and and I did a lot of mistakes and they never punished me in that club because I could do mistakes that’s that’s the most important and today for example I’m in

In a big club we have around 15,700 fans average sometimes we have 20,000 people here and we have every training 200 uh people watching the training it’s crazy sometimes when there’s a new player or a new coach 200 people come in it’s incredible 100 people followers now to Turkey in

Training camp I cannot do the same mistakes so when I found inish to come back to your question we I was cutting the grass I was I was pumping the balls I was buying the shirts I was uh buying the fruits and the water before the training I was driving the players to

Training and back arranging a hotel picking them up from the airport and and all these things what the team manager and the sport director I was negotiating the contracts I was writing the closets in this contract so um it’s very very important to to have always the whole

Vision of what do you need in a in a proper football club we were not a proper football club we were just a team basically who had incredible good players for the small size of this club but um but everyone gave more than just being a player I think there were many

Examples where players were picking up players which was never their job but they did this so they learned to take responsibilities and I think many players from this time still need this experience to understand that in the next club or the next clubs they went they have much less problems and they

See the life a bit different from back then how we started there you know and I can tell you every day about this is also back to this day mood humility um I never forgot what we did to to just to play not to to win just to play we had

No physiotherapist so we had to be always smart we had to always communicate when something starts with the muscles or with we we stopped the training because there was no help and if you have no help you have to do it yourself and it was a

Complete do it yourself Club so we were quite um quite um quite successful we promote in the first year in the second year we became Runners up we we sold always the best players to bigger clubs we were nearly the only Club who who gained money from transfers um uh to to

Repay them into salaries of new players and this was in in 10 years ago in division five so I think we did a a good job there all together and everyone gained a lot from there we were a big family I would say if I remember uh the time I I spent I

Spent there and the time we spent all together there were a lot of players from every every every country around the world having one common goal to to make this club bigger and and achieve the promotion and and these are all things that I you can never forget

Because now you you have a better life now you you you might be playing in a better Club but these moments saap your character and the person you are today because as you said you have to take responsibilities because if you didn’t no one else would have done it for you

Kristos you know in every Club you were and I have been always we complains we always complain and also sometimes I get myself complaining even here you know we go to the stadium we can park the kind one garage under the stadium I go inside the stadium they recognize my face in

This camera and the door opens automatically I go in my office I have everything I need but still sometimes I get myself when I complain and um and the players of course complain and I think one of the few things I always bring into one team um is to try to

Control yourself not to complain because first of all when we leave when I leave my house in the morning around 7 7:30 I go to the stadium when we have have training at 10:00 and I watch left and right in the streets the in the bus

Stops I see people who go to work and they work eight hours a day for I don’t want to say for for half the money or for for a third of the money I take um or even less and I can completely enjoy what I’m doing and and that’s the most

Important you know to be always thankful that your life is is your your hobby you know your job is your hobby and I think we learned in life this quite well so yes I I see that every day because I’m playing in a football club now where

Actually everything is is great the club has a cooperation with austrain and you can see the organization is is amazing and still I do see from time to time players complain for different things instead of seeing what what they have so I think it’s it’s in our I don’t

Know if it’s in our blood or if it’s a if athletes do that in general like we do find we do like finding things to complain about I think always it it comes with groups of people you know when you are with groups of people especially men you

Know they like to they like to show that they’re not happy because they want to be a bit tough in front of everyone and this is quite normal for groups you know so I think the most important is always as you said to see what you have and not

Always to take the focus on what you don’t have because you will find a lot more you know so I think we never should forget that we do our our our hobby every day this is our hobby our completely Recreation we we would play football even if we don’t get money for

It we want to be fit every day um we go to the gym so we can have this every day out on the pitch we have always a ball we have people who are with us like the teammates who also have the same Target as we have so everything is much better

In a group than alone so I think football is the perfect spot for people who who um yeah who learned this lesson of life you know and I think it’s easier in the daily life to to have a good attitude because look I have seen the

Other side of the coin so if this if some of these players are going to leave this club and go somewhere else then they’re going to realize what they had yeah there’s nothing else they can do time the time has passed already of course and in my experience when you

When you were were just talking about times in in Asia or in Arabia or in south of Europe when I was there of course you remember the I do this as myself I remember the the positive things much more than the negative things but in that moment of course it

Felt different yeah of course was but this is normal in life I think everyone complained in the moment he was in school it was so boring it was so so so so yeah so so cruel but after 20 years when you meet the same people said he we

Had a good time then you know and I think this is part of nor life this this doesn’t come only from football but I think our job as a coach is is to take out this from the people not every day verbally but to to going in front with a

Good mindset with positivity on the pitch and then the players also when when they see a happy Coach they are more happy than when they always see a complaining and uh negative coach you know it’s always about finding Solutions and not creating more problems I guess

Exactly so from inter life you move to reden yes Z of gr asbach a club that was back then in the third League by scops be D and tan aim where you are today yes is do you have do you still have the same philosophy gag pressing or is it

Something else that I need to know about about you philosophy I think you you learn every every day you know and you the coaching job is never the same you know when you can plan the team from a white paper sheet of paper you can plan it completely into the philosophy you want

To play when you take a a team like I did here in the middle of the Season you have to do compromises as you can’t play as you want so this the coaching is always different what I can tell you is that um that is the first time in the

Club I’m working now that I feel completely home and I can feel completely I’m the missing piece in this puzzle you know and it makes me complete and as I get the feedback from the people I do them complete and they make them complete so I’m very happy now in

This situation and um and this click is very important also to be to be in the soul to be quiet and happy and not look for other things and and that makes me very happy right now you know and all the other clubs I work before they were

Also quite quite important and I don’t want to miss anything but this is the first time where I really really say yeah this club could be the club for the next like 10 years of my life I would I would like to to ask you about your time

In as a coach in G Asar because it was a club in the third League what was the difference between the two leagues for for instance and what what was also the case when you when you signed this contract let me give you an example

We start I start my my first day was aspar when the president uh showed me to the group around like 5:30 in the morning because we left at 7:30 from stutgart airport to antalia bell training camp in Winter and um I came there and um I just uh watched The

Players a little bit and um see how they move in the airport and I was like sh I said how is possible players um so fit so strong they let the old people in This Club carry all the material and all the backs for the players and the

Players just went this big earphones and they moved around the airport and they were so so completely out of any responsibility so we landed in antalia the same procedure back the old people like elderly people who were working voluntary wise for this club you know because they wanted just to be part of

This of this club when there were like 65 17 years old they were carrying the bags back into the next bus and we left at the hotel they were complaining about the food they were complaining about the training pitch they were complaining about everything and you know the first

Thing I did in this club was like hey boys listen we have here 21 Dees we have the sun shining we have 40 m of buffet we have fish meat fruits even baklava we have sweets there we have water tea melons bananas apples everything you want we have five star hotel the best

Room everything we want and you complain about the pitch I cannot see I cannot say that and that was my first time I spoke to the team you know and then you can already imagine how was my time there I was uh I was trying to implement

Values in this team and I tried to gave them a little bit of of humility you know deut I said that again and some of these players they did not care and that was that was something what I had to accept but I do find myself very hard in

This moment when players don’t don’t see what they have and they don’t have these values and that was that was the mirror of the team um I could just stay four games as I had not the pro license level back then so in Germany it’s says you

Can be for for games coach in this league without having this license and yeah that were my was already my time there so I learned a lot from there I learned a lot I was of course I was happy to take this chance and we had great games in kisis Lon 30,000 people

We draw there was a fantastic experience but um as a coach you have to plan your career carefully and you have to know in which moment you have to go in which club with the right players and that’s what I experi here now the experience I

Do here the players have they have all this humility they have this Deo they know how important is to clap for the fans after the game they know what the budge is is is heavy and then they respect the budge and that’s something very important for me as a coach as I

Believe I belong to this kind of clubs and not to clubs where I don’t know where the where are just 200 people in the games you know what I mean if you had the chance to to redo this speech in front of these players in gr aspar would you have a different approach

No no no no I I did this speech on the pitch you know I put all the team around me I let them come close I didn’t want to shout I said look boys I’m here the first day and I don’t want to be here like like the Jesus or something like

That and I asked the player how far away are we from the Mediterranean Sea here I said like 200 meters okay 200 meters how how is the temperature 21 degrees okay what how was the temperature in stut when we left minus three and and and

Snow okay how is the hotel is there some food missing no huh why you complain but about what are you complaining they were complaining about everything about the intensity of the training about the air pressure in the boards and these things they they made me like wow I said I

Can’t believe that and you know as a coach you you have in this moment you need the whole club to get this out from the players if there’s just one person in the club who gives them a shelter from this way of method of of trying to

Influence a team you have no chance because they will go and cry in his shoulder and um yeah I learned a lot but I would never the whole team I guess you know I’m I’m not the type of I’m a complete team player here I have people around me the president the the

Whole committee and the sport director we have all the same values and we can really fight we can really fight inside but we fight inside and when we go out from the dressing room or from the from the office we give the same opinion it doesn’t matter how much we have to bite

In our hands you know for for what is the what is the solution but we are one and when you are one the players have no space to have excuse and that’s I think a very important point and I think that is also sometimes I I I

Met You in Greece you know and that was maybe also a reason why I gotens back then was so weak you know because there were everywhere people who who were were were were ready to listen to the players who did not perform and uh I think in

Every Club where the things work well there’s a way and a clear way where to go and the clear philosophy and if you don’t follow it or you’re not good enough you will not play or you will go home one day the contract will not be renewed if you’re good enough you you

Get a new contract you have a better life and that is the normal way and this clean way everywhere you look for example your ex coach Rik has been my ex- coach now is the national coach of Austria where he goes his success because he implements that and is if he

Is in one club like like Manchester United where the things are a bit different where he’s not the strong man where he not the strong philosophy behind him and the people who who beg him up you know he will find it difficult to influence the superstars

You know what I mean and this is everywhere the same it doesn’t matter which leag you go in which level it’s just how um strong can you lead to this point of your philosophy and this type of valuation of things and and then you you go your way everywh you are at the

Same time is important to have all these people around the club being on the same page as you are and then success is he gonna be there and I don’t believe that the the coach I think is the most important person in the club yes but the

The coach without people around him who support him is nothing that’s the most important because it’s always the coach is always the the weakest break in the chain you know when you lose always the first person who is confronted with the bad results is the coach you know and um

So if you don’t have these people behind you who who look for for for for for clearway for discipline for everything you are lost because the players immediately know where’s the where where is the strong leadership in this club in some clubs is the coach like in F

Christian strike is there is there 25 years or 30 years R frik wherever he goes he’s the strong man but there are moments where even r frik as I said before is not the strong man and and the people around him they may they weaken

Him and then he cannot lead the club to success because they Comfort zones then for me it’s a comfort zone when a player can go besides the coach to to to the president or to the so to the director and complain about about the situation because I think we all in the same

Boat and of course the coach has to decide that’s not easy because you never decide against someone you always decide for another player and that to understand also um it’s not easy for a player who’s not chosen first 11 sometimes but it’s not a decision against you and I think you need you

Need help in this especially in this modern world where the fans also can have a big impact of the of the um of the atmosphere in the club from the internet from the comments they right and everything good and bad in both ways so you have to understand that you know

Finally the players play finally players have to perform for the performance they have to be fit for this they have to run they have to suffer they have to eat train sleep repeat they have to work and if there’s just one person who has a different opinion the laziness of the

Players will kill the success and that’s happens quite often so you arrived at Alania aen when the team was struggling in the league since then you have successfully te things around currently sitting in the second in second place just two points away from the first yes what changes did you implement when you

Came to the club because I guess you have to to perform fast there is no time no I I took responsibility I I I invited the fans to the dressing room and uh I I let them let them speak out what they were missing from the team you

Know and they were missing fight they were missing identification they were missing um blood in the pitch you know because a Alania is a club where the fans will give you everything when you fight and um I’m this coach I forgive you everything on the pitch I forgive

You every defeat if you give everything and this everything is relative my everything is different than others people’s everything so I Implement in this team the mentality that when we lose the ball we go immediately immediately into gig and pressing and if we can’t gig and press immediately

Behind the ball this is the first thing things are changed and they of course they’re very very intensive and they hurt and they pains and and everything and they are boring and I know they stress you out but I know because I have been a lazy player I can see this from

20 meters against win if a player is lazy or not and I took this out from them and this laziness killed success and first of all we became more industrious we were working harder we had a much better intensity in the trainings I never when I’m referee in

The training games I rarely whistle so for me they can they can kick they need to be men they need to be strong they they need to be yeah in football teams we need strong people and yeah from this this was the the the moment where the things change because we have a

Fantastic team with good players with big talents but the talent is not enough because a single player touches the ball a minute or two in the game and 88 Minutes Or 89 minutes he’s off the ball so I think this time is much more important um than the one minute when he

Has the ball so I did this basically and then of course we changed the we we just play one system now the ex- coach used to play three four five systems and the players didn’t didn’t understand everything as they are also quite quite a lot of new players so I play 433 like

Like Liverpool did in the times when they were successful two three years ago for this we need speed in front we need hardworking Midfield players who win the ball who play direct up up front again I need a fast Central defense who can who can defend the space behind them I need

A goalkeeper who can defend a big space in front of them and that was the first changes we we uh we did we we we easy at the game for the players because the game is so simple it has a goal in front it has a goal back and you have to score

And you can’t score there that’s the that’s the key of the game and if you play with 15 passes and you score fantastic if you score from a long ball the same goal is the same zero one or one zero so we play we play like that

And from the easy to the difficult methodic uh we’re building up on the on the defense on the pressing now we go into the next chapter not forgetting the first chapter because that’s sometimes also from my experience takes place when you focus on one thing you forget the

Other thing and yeah we working we working quite intensive we have a fantastic coaching stuffff with atletic Coach who was in hoffenheim with r rnck who who uh who never lets the players allows the players to run a little less a meter less than it says the program

And this very clean and clear and and disciplined and I think that’s that’s enough for the league with our supporters in our back in our Stadium we are quite Invincible at home from the moment I can we just lost two points in I think eight nine home games we played

So so so that’s that’s very important and now we have the preseason where we can even work harder on the on the on the physical things on the Tactical things next week in turkey and I’m I’m sure that we can really speak a big word direction promotion if we keep humble if

We look from training to training from game to game and not only see the final goal because that’s a big mistake to always see the final goal see every day give your best be the best version of yourself you know be humble be humiliate

Day you know and then I think you have a big chance to win the league as we play also against the teams from the top of the league the first five teams we’re going to play all home so that’s that’s also a big benefit in this yes so the

Promotion is the goal the yeah of course now I took this team in with after five no after six games with Five Points so we were fighting against relegation if you want to say so beginning that was good for the team you know also to feel

The stress inside our club and the the supporters unhappy you know and unsatisfied that was important for the team because because they they didn’t forget what happened so the most important is in Germany we say I’m H camp and work that’s the most important you know and yes they they they have

This now I don’t I don’t need to complain anymore you know me when I’m when I’m loud and aggressive to the team but I don’t need to do this anymore because we have the right leaders also in this team who I have the same the same blood you know so you’re going to

The preseason next week started new transfered but you you do fly next week to to Turkey you said right we started third of January and then we have everyday double sessions today was the only day where we were off is we had double session plus Indo tournament the

Last two day two days and now tomorrow double session after tomorrow double session after tomorrow double session and then we go to Turkey 10 days is the team completed are you going to do any transfer or how does it look like yeah we Tred to find the right piece of the

Puzzle we need to strike in my opinion more because we have we have missing one one strong striker from the beginning was injured we we we changed a little bit the formation but we didn’t find yet the right the right Striker for the way I want to play one aggressive Striker

Who who uh yeah who who can press who can who can give us always high lines because the striker in the middle 10 players watching you know he’s he’s in front of the 10 players so when he press everyone will press if this player doesn’t go the whole team will stay we

Need a player like that in my opinion but they are they’re not easy to find as we have a good team and the players need Rhythm and player with rism always is under contract and we can’t pay transfer right now so we must be clever and but

I’m still I’m still sure we will find the right the right test ion and I guess there are a lot of free players in the market but of course you have to find the right one the one who feeds the puzzle yes now they are free players but

The free players who didn’t sign from January they have pressure as the transfer window for them closest in Germany 31st of January after that also they can’t play even if they didn’t have a Club but these players they have a lack of uh Fitness as they were without

Team training so these players I don’t believe they can help us because the winter break is is short we have another three weeks to go in this moment you cannot uh build up on the player for the whole season you need a bigger a bigger basement of of Fitness level so we need

Players who or player who uh who is under contract now and yeah we will see what what we’re going to do but we’re looking for coming slowly slowly to the end I I like to ask the same question to our guests so imagine waking up tomorrow with all the knowledge and wisdom you

Have gain over the years what advice would you give to yourself as you start your coaching journey and this this this can be an advice that can also benefit new coaches starting their careers so what you would you say to yourself be yourself never copy someone influence yes never copy in

Coaching life if you not the UR Club don’t copy J Club also in coaching life if you like to see Guardiola but you can’t transmit it don’t play Guardiola that’s the most important Find Your Way find out how you how you click with people you know

For this you have to be yourself because players always understand if you are honest and if you are um the person you you are or the person you play if you’re an actor if you’re an actor you will never win a team you can never speak in front of a

Group if these people don’t um don’t see that it’s yourself who speak that’s the most important I think you can you can do mistakes because mistakes I do every day a lot and you have to do mistakes to learn from that so don’t try to be anxious from mistakes because you will

Be sacked as a coach you will be dismissed as a player after a trial if I can tell to a young player when I invite players here for trial from 10 players I will maximum send one nine players I’m sorry but in this moment I don’t know if you’re

The right player for this team so the players go home and I know they will they want to kill me and they want they want to I don’t know to be um yeah they’re very angry and of course they’re upset and maybe they have um doubs if

They are good no you have to be yourself you have to trust yourself work hard never give up it’s so simple but this um this is the most important this is the most important and at the end it’s let the receip of life is very simple um I

Don’t know if I can say this in English because and I like Rocky you know Rocky you know the the boxing film yes when he speaks to his child and the child always complains I said look you are fitting into this hand into this hand I didn’t I

Didn’t educate you to always cry don’t cry I mean of course when you have to cry you cry but at the end don’t complain don’t complain I’m telling you that kills your own energy level and you need to be in football you need your energy to be every day the best version

Of yourself if you always deduct energy from Yourself by being negative you can never be the player you are that’s what I can give to them be positive it’s so difficult sometimes and the coaches always are wrong where they don’t put you to play they are always very bad

People I know but the decision is never against you the decision is always for someone El for someone else and and that’s the most important especially to Latin people or to Mediterranean people high blooded persons always every day is important not at the end of the career

To Be A Millionaire every day to be the better player of yourself the better version of yourself that’s what I can recommend to everyone and I guess we can agree on one thing that failure is part of the of the journey and the only thing

You can do is just get over it and get stronger from it learn from it and just keep going there are many failures you do in football you do all the time you know football is a game of failures you know failures in every game the goals they come from failures

But there are two ways of failures it’s failures because you are you are brave or you are scared the the the the failures from yes from from being brave and being being being strong you will learn from that but being scared no don’t be scared never be scared of

Diseases or of Wars but never in footballer’s life it’s a game and the game’s always they have to make fun and you have to enjoy it if you’re scared to play you will never succeed and now we are entering the extra time I can promise you it’s going to be two three

Minutes more and we are over so I have prepared a fire round which is a five questions and you have to answer either by saying one word or just a phrase okay so we have to keep it short so let’s start what is the the hardest challenge

You ever faced during your career to to play the next game five days after I lost my father if you had the opportunity to have dinner with a coach who would it be R frik what would be your first question I would apologize for the way I

Have been as a player and then I would ask him I would ask him how can you be so motivated after being a coach for like 40 years yeah definitely that’s a very nice question so aside from a player’s Talent what are the selection criteria

For a player to join your team his heart his mentality and I can look in his eyes and I can tell you if it’s a player who who follows or not I can see this from my experience I can look in the eyes and

I can tell you is the right one or not what advice would you give to a young coach whose big trip is to coach a team in the big league step by step there’s time for everything to achieve a Target is important to achieve it and not when

To achieve it so do mistakes learn from it and if it takes you 20 years fantastic if it takes you 30 years fantastic no one is born as a coach of Manchester United Liverpool and the last question what is the main goal for you but thinking long term because we did

Say the clubs and of course your personal goal for this year is the promotion but what is highness Big Goal kristos I’m coaching 10 years and have not been unemployed for just a single day you know not for a single day and I’m so happy I want to be

Coach till my power takes me I don’t want I can be coach in division four in in 10 years and I will be still fine as I said I’m in a perfect club now I love my club but I’m doing my Pro license in January now it starts in January so

Maybe it will lead me one day out from here but I never forget I I I I respect every Club in my in my history the same and um I don’t want to look so far in front every day tomorrow the training I didn’t plan it yet so I

Have to do it now that’s the most important now what comes in 10 years I don’t know and that was it for today I would like to thank you for taking the time and also for sharing all this wisdom with us and I hope our and I hope our listeners will

Resonate with your story and learn from it in the meantime I would really appreciate if you subscribe to our YouTube channel and leave a five revie a five star review on Spotify only if you enjoyed our today’s episode having said that I wish you all the best in 2024