Jürgen Klopp is back in German football. At his first press conferences as national coach, there was initially little sign of the pressure associated with this task. Klopp seems confident, relaxed and full of anticipation. He set clear boundaries towards the public, formulated his socio-political stance and at the same time spoke with visible joy about his new task.
The fact that not everything went perfectly in the first game against the Netherlands is part of the process. I still had the impression that Klopp had already gotten into the minds of the players: fight, commitment, passion and even the courage to take risks were evident.
In the upcoming games, the question will now be how Klopp himself continues to deal with this pressure. The decisive factor will be whether he can permanently transfer his lightness and attitude to his team.
Because freedom on the football field cannot be prescribed. It arises when there is a feeling of being able to handle a situation. When a player doesn't immediately think about the consequences after making a mistake. When he trusts himself to make the next decision instead of hedging it.
In professional football this is more difficult than it sounds.
Players are constantly under observation.
The German national team in particular is not coming into this new era unscathed. The past tournaments have left disappointments. Early elimination, lost games, expectations not met. Such experiences don't just disappear with a new trainer. They can influence how players approach the next crucial moment and how they deal with mistakes.
Players are constantly under observation. Coaches, teammates, opponents, spectators, media and social networks generate an attention that hardly anyone can escape. There is also internal competition: who is playing? Who is sitting on the bench? Who gets to start again in the next game?
Under such conditions, a player's perspective can change. He is then no longer on to the next action, but rather to its possible evaluation. Instead of playing the pass, he thinks about what will happen if he loses it. A footballer who is supposed to find solutions unconsciously becomes someone who wants to avoid mistakes.
The trainer is part of the environment.
I know situations like this from working with players. A player loses the ball. Actually, his attention should already be on the next action. Instead, he's still dealing with the mistake: What does the coach think? How do the other players rate it? What does this mean for him now?
Sometimes that's the difference between the player you actually know and the player you see on the pitch. Technically and tactically everything is there. Nevertheless, in a crucial situation he doesn't come back to what he's actually made of. Not because he suddenly can't do it anymore. His attention is no longer where it is needed for his performance.
This is where leadership becomes interesting.
A coach is not just the one who gives tactical instructions. He is part of the environment in which his players perform. And this is especially evident in difficult moments.
A bad pass, the coach jumps up immediately. A lost duel, the coach throws his hands over his head. For the trainer, this reaction may be over after a few seconds. It can have a longer effect on the player. It can create an additional question: How bad was that just now?
The team doesn't just listen to what their coach says. She notices the state in which he himself is.
Maybe that's why the trainer's own flow is not unimportant. A trainer cannot prescribe flow. But his own condition affects the team. A coach who is present, confident and enjoys the game on the sidelines can make it easier for his players to get into this state themselves. Flow can be transmitted, not as a tactical requirement, but through the perception, energy and presence of the manager.
Klopp has to create a framework.
That's why the sideline is more than a place for instructions. A coach there is in constant communication with his team. His body language, his reactions and his energy are registered, often without conscious thought.
A coach who visibly despairs after every mistake can inadvertently convey that this action was particularly important now. A coach who stays present after a mistake and anticipates the next action sends a different message: move on. The game continues.
Perhaps this is one of the most challenging tasks for Klopp. He doesn't have to explain to his team that they should play freely. He has to create a framework in which she feels comfortable playing freely.
This also includes your own condition. A coach can hardly expect his team to remain calm in difficult phases if he himself accompanies every action with visible restlessness. And it is difficult to credibly demand courage when your own body language, after the first mistake, already announces the next catastrophe.
Conversely, your own calm can be contagious. A coach who remains present even after a mistake gives his players something back that is quickly lost in football: an eye for the next action.
It is therefore worthwhile for coaches to ask a question before a game that is easily overlooked alongside tactics: How do I want to affect my team today?
Quiet? Energy? Conviction? Trust?
Not as an actor. Not as someone who has to suppress his emotions. But as a manager who knows that her own condition is also part of the game.
What should my players feel from me when things get difficult?
Quiet? Energy? Conviction? Trust?
At his first press conference, Jürgen Klopp made it very clear how he would like to deal with external pressure. Now the more difficult part of his task begins. He must give his team the same freedom that he demands for himself.
The pressure won't go away. Even under Klopp, one player will make a bad pass, another will sit on the bench and a third will have doubts before an important game.
