WORLD CUP FILM RELEASED - BRAZIL 2014 REVISITED

WORLD CUP FILM RELEASED - BRAZIL 2014 REVISITED

November 14, 2014 
by Michael Stolz

This week, the official German World Cup film 'Die Mannschaft' hit the big screen. The scenes recorded at Campo Bahia, Germany's base camp during the World Cup, brought back many good memories.  I was fortunate enough to work with the German team in Brazil as part of the World Cup production crew. Seeing the German team progress and eventually lift the World Cup trophy in Rio up close was an unforgettable experience. 

German Lessons from Brazil

Only a few weeks after Germany lifted the World Cup at the Maracanã in Rio, coach Joachim Löw and the DFB started to rebuild again. Familiar faces like Per Mertesacker, Philip Lahm and Miroslav Klose had stepped down from the national team and made way for a new generation of talented players, like Marco Reus, Mario Götze, Christoph Kramer or Antonio Rüdiger. There is little doubt that Germany will have assembled another highly competitive team by 2016 and travel to the EURO’s in France as one of the top favorites. So what’s their secret and what can be learned from a nation that has won more Word Cup games than any other country in the world?

From Top to Bottom 

What sounds like a cliché couldn’t be closer to the truth; Germany’s success didn’t happen overnight and is clearly the result of years of innovation and detailed preparation, from the top to the bottom.  In 2004, fundamental tactical and technical changes were introduced to German football by newly appointed national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann and his then assistant Joachim Löw. Both recognized the need for fast and attacking football based on ball possession, a sharp passing game, confidence on the ball under pressure and high technical, physical and tactical ability in all areas of the field, including the goalkeepers.

Changed Mindsets

They also looked into the mindset of athletes – every player can and should improve, every day and in every session! Two years later, in 2006, the DFB paved the way with a new youth development program spearheaded by sporting director Matthias Sammer. Amongst other things, the former German international and Dortmund star designed a 10-point manifesto outlining the fundamental overhaul of Germany’s youth system. Apart from demanding technical and tactical improvements and the establishment of youth academies by every Bundesliga club, one of the most remarkable points on his agenda was the need for ‘Spielfreude’ - the passion and joy for the game which he felt had gone missing during the years. At the time it felt absurd to order kids to have fun while playing football, but Germany’s current playful generation is the best proof that the passion for the game has certainly been rediscovered.

Youth Rules

Today, Germany has close to 7 million registered players in over 25,000 clubs. In addition to the vibrant club scene, 1300 licensed DFB coaches in 366 development centers across Germany also spot and nurture talent, a system that hardly misses out on any emerging player. The most talented ones will end up at the established Bundesliga youth academies, which offer professional training facilities, coaching and boarding. The academies are affiliated with so-called elite schools of sport, which offer students tailor-made timetables to combine high intensity training and school work. Players like Neuer, Özil, Höwedes or Draxler, for example, are all products of the Schalke 04 academy while Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Hummels, Kroos and Müller came through Bayern’s youth system.

The Bundesliga – a Hotbed for Young Players

A close cooperation between DFB, the DFL and the clubs ensures that Germany’s youngsters are given a chance to gain first team experience in the Bundesliga. 16 players of Germany’s World Cup winning side earned their money in the German league at the time, perhaps a sign of a healthy league system that is catching up not only commercially but also in providing a stimulating environment for homegrown talent.

Team Dynamics and Perseverance

Referring to the difficult conditions European teams face in South America, Löw stated before the Word Cup that ‘if you start to complain, you have lost, you need to be alert, you need to adapt’. In Brazil, Germany fielded the most experienced squad comprising of 16 highly competitive players with plenty of Champions League and World Cup experience, who could change the course of a game at any time and provide Joachim Löw with plenty of options for tactical changes. Being able to bring high caliber players such as Klose, Schweinsteiger, Schürrle or Götze off the bench has been key to turning around tight games. Like other winning teams in the past, this German side has been built over a period of time. one of Löw’s criteria for picking players - do they fit into his leadership style of ‘Flache Hierachien’ – flat hierarchies – meaning no superstars, but leadership roles for all team members throughout the entire squad.

Fitness is King  

Germany also looked the fittest in Brazil, despite playing three games under challenging climatic conditions at 1pm kick-off times. No other team, except the USA, covered more ground in the group phase than Germany. For the past 10 years, the national team has been cooperating with the US based fitness company ‘Athletes Performance’, today trading as EXOS. Founder Mark Verstegen and partner Chad Fortsythe, who has now been signed by Arsenal, were first introduced to the DFB by Jürgen Klinsmann. They have been working with the players before and during tournaments introducing rubber bands, parachutes and bullet belts to their training routine. Their credo: ‘Let’s make the team sharper and fitter with every game played – let’s defy average!’ This approach might explain why German teams usually find a second gear during a long tournament, while others seem to run out of steam. 

Technology and Smart Players

Finally, there is widespread belief that smarter players make better players. Tactically demanding systems and an in-depth game preparation require open and educated minds. Whether wearing tailor-made Adidas tops, which include GPS devices to capture the players biometrics, or the use of performances-analyzing software, technology has become an integral part of their daily work. For a couple of years now the DFB and software giant SAP have been developing software solutions to improve training and match analysis and the utilization of big data in football. A new platform with a simple interface enables coaches, scouts and players to access and process key situations in games. The new technology was used in Brazil and allowed players to monitor and analyze their performances at any given time. Constant feedback and ongoing self-improvement is guaranteed – through a simple app. Incidentally, one of the players said to be using the player app most frequently is Mario Götze, the scorer of the winning goal, Der Erlöser,  the redeemer of Maracanã.