National team
DFB junior manager on World Cup lessons: working on defensiveness
In an interview, the head coach of the U-national teams talks about World Cup findings, among other things. photo
© Oliver Killig/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Since Germany lost the preliminary round at the World Cup in Qatar, there has been renewed discussion about training youngsters. Junior head coach Meikel Schönweitz draws a few lessons from his World Cup visit.
After its World Cup observations, the German Football Association has shown the consequences for the training of its own offspring.
“The passion and identification with one’s own nation as well as the defensive discipline and defensive spirit of the successful teams were extremely striking,” said Meikel Schönweitz, head coach of the U-national teams, in an interview on the DFB website on Wednesday. Schönweitz was on site during the tournament in Qatar together with the coaches of the junior national teams.
“We’ve been working on defensiveness for a long time. It was the basis for winning the U21 European Championship in 2021. In terms of passion and identification with Germany, we face a challenge as a society as a whole, not just with the football system,” said Schonweitz.
“From the DFB team, we try to set an example for this identification and to push it further with many measures, such as our heart-show campaigns, in conveying our successful football history, as well as the virtues and values that Germany stands for. But we can only do that to the boys Pave the way, open the door – you have to go through it yourself,” said the 42-year-old. For several years now, the DFB has been supporting charitable and social projects under the motto “#Showing Hearts”.
The U16 and U17 are currently in the winter training camp in Spain. “There are two goals: On the one hand, the individual development of the players and on the other hand, team-related goals,” said Schönweitz, who has an unusually large number of coaches around him. “In addition to the U16 and U17 coaching team, all the U15 and U18 to U21 head coaches are on site, as well as Hermann Gerland and I in my capacity as U-team head coach.”
The highlight for the junior national teams this year is the U21 European Championships in Romania and Georgia from June 21 to July 8, 2023. Germany will start there as the defending champion.