Bierhoff: "Eight years' hard work"

Oliver Bierhoff got himself into the history books of the game by scoring the Golden Goal in the EURO 96 final between Germany and the Czech Republic at Wembley; sixteen years on, he manages the administration, logistics, and economics of the German national team, a position he has held since 2004. At Germany's team base camp, the Dwór Oliwski Hotel near Gdansk, he met DFB.de writer Steffen Lüdeke to discuss the 2012 edition of the tournament and his playing days.

team.dfb.de: Oliver, with just a few hours to go before the quarter-final match against Greece kicks off, it is hard to escape the political overtones…

Bierhoff: Let me say that whenever I’ve met people from Greece, I was taken in by their warmth and great hospitality. The Greeks are under immense pressure and are now suffering many hardships for much that’s been going wrong in their country for many years. Many of them feel that the austerity measures are deeply unfair. That welds people together, and if you throw in the sporting motivation of reaching the semi-finals, the Greek national team players will give everything they’ve got.

team.dfb.de: Such a situation can lift you up, but it can also paralyse you…

Bierhoff: That’s correct, but I don’t see the Greeks go into rabbit-in-the-headlights mode. On the contrary, they’re very self-confident, have faith in their style, and are extraordinarily efficient. They’re fully aware of their role as outsiders, but that’s exactly what they’ve been thriving on. We’ll have to concentrate, take our game to the opposition and avoid making any mistakes that could encourage them.

team.dfb.de: We’re looking at very contrasting ways of playing football – here’s forward-oriented Germany, there’s deep-sitting Greece …

Bierhoff: Yes, but both teams had totally different points of departure if you like. Germany are favourites, while Greece, by reaching the quarter-finals, have already exceeded expectations by playing with passion and commitment.

team.dfb.de: As a player, you featured in many major tournaments. How did you deal with the pressure, and could it be you have itchy feet now, dying to be on the pitch yourself?

Bierhoff: Well, I’m afraid I was definitely not the Thomas Müller type, who is absolutely relaxed, wisecracking almost all the way to kick-off. I used to go all quiet and taciturn. As to the second part of the question – I know what it’s like to score decisive goals and make a nation happy, but do I want to be out there now? Thanks, but no, thanks!

team.dfb.de: Bastian Schweinsteiger said that for the Greece match, Germany need a 'game plan'. Speaking of which – have you not taken the DFB A licence coaching course?

Bierhoff: I usually listen in to the coaches’ conversations with players, and I love talking shop – with the other coaches or the scouts for example. But it’s not just one-way. They’re interested in the things that I see from sitting high in the stands as opposed to from the dugout. And having been both regulars and players who know what it’s like sitting on the bench, Andy Köpke and I can relate to all of our players in the squad. But designing training sessions and pre-match team talks, that’s definitely not my province (laughs).

team.dfb.de: This team base camp bears all the hallmarks of Oliver Bierhoff the administrator. With the tournament under way, what is your remit here on site?

Bierhoff: Prior to the tournament, I was immersed in planning, organising, devising team-building projects, human resources issues, etc. Now I'm just happy to be able to reap the rewards, as it were. Also, I get feed-back from coaches and staff, I'm their chief point of contact, and I try to live up to my personal motto of being there for everybody without ever standing in the way. This is why the position of national team manager was established in the first place – support and deflect all the pressure from the coaches, thus allowing them to concentrate on their jobs.

team.dfb.de: What’s your assessment of the tournament so far?

Bierhoff: Organisation, transportation, security, and stadiums – everything’s in perfect shape, the hospitality is fantastic. Obviously, the fact that both of the host nations are out of the running, has dampened the mood somewhat. Generally speaking, I think most people had hoped this championship would provide a little more in terms of footballing quality.

team.dfb.de: Are our players aware of what’s happening back home in Germany?

Bierhoff: Of course! We read about it in the papers, see it on the news – 27 million viewers watching match broadcasts, up to 500,000 people at the fan fests, that’s incredible! Here in our team base camp, though, we’re a bit cut off from all that, but this also allows us to totally focus on games.

team.dfb.de: If you look at the national team as a 'brand', what’s more important: success or the style and image it projects?

Bierhoff: Well, there have been German national teams that were very successful but never ranked high on the popularity scale. Ideally, teams manage to combine it all – an attractive style, success, and a positive image. For this team, winning the tournament would be a huge honour, a reward for all their commitment, and a confirmation of our beliefs. In marketing terms, the national team would become an even more sought-after commodity, as DFB partners and sponsors would be able to proudly add the champions’ title to their corporate identity.

team.dfb.de: And what would it mean to you personally?

Bierhoff: A feeling of absolute contentment and, in a sense, compensation for eight years’ hard work invested in making this work.