Wück: No, I don’t because I know I would lose. We have a ping-pong table and we go out to dinner together. But the boys also brought their Playstations of course.
Question: Your players are all at a special age in their development. Is that a challenge for you?
Wück: A very interesting challenge, yes. A lot happens during the two years a U17 team is together - whether that's concerned with a girlfriend, the relationship with their parents or their physical growth. There are always things you need to look out for. For example, prior to our semi-final at the European Championship, one of our players had a very poor final training session. I asked him what was going on and eventually he told me that he had not slept a lot the night before because he was constantly on the phone after his girlfriend had broken up with him. You always have to remind yourself that you're working with teenagers. It's not just a case of only being their coach, sometimes you also have to be a psychologist.
Christian Wück guided the Germany U17 national team to the final of the European Championship and has now set his sights on the World Cup in Chile. In this interview the DFB coach talks about Germany's group of death, his goals and the Playstation.
Question: Mr. Wück, how did your squad cope with the 29-hour long journey to Chile?
Christian Wück: Surprisingly well. We managed to go to bed at the right time after our arrival. At first we were still waking up a bit too early but not so much anymore.
Question: How excited is the team for this World Cup?
Wück: Very, very excited. There is a real World Cup feeling here in Chillán, as the entire city is decorated. It's about time the tournament finally gets underway.
Question: How important is the World Cup for a 17 year old?
Wück: You can't achieve more as a 17 year old. For this age group it's the final tournament and everyone at the DFB was aiming to guide the team towards it. We are happy to have accomplished that and now look to play a good tournament.
Question: Your first opponent on Sunday will be Australia. How much do you know about them?
Wück: We gathered lots of video material and watched many of their games. In Australia the national team is run like a club side. They players are very accustomed to one another. It's going to be a real challenge for us.
Question: Your other group opponents are Argentina and Mexico...
Wück: Argentina qualified second behind Brazil from the South American pool, which already says a lot. It's going to be a real highlight match for us, also due to our success against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Mexico's U17 side won the 2005 and 2011 World Cup, which makes this another tough match for us.
Question: Were you drawn into the toughest group of the tournament?
Wück: It's definitely the toughest group with four very strong teams. I do think it's an advantage to start off the tournament with strong opponents, it could benefit us in the long run.
Question: Does reaching the final remain your goal?
Wück: Of course. We didn’t come all this way in order to take the first flight back home. We want to achieve the maximum. We certainly have the quality to go far in this tournament. I have a lot of confidence in this group of players, both from a playing aspect as well as in their character.
Question: U21 coach Horst Hrubesch often plays Playstation against his players. How about you?
Wück: No, I don’t because I know I would lose. We have a ping-pong table and we go out to dinner together. But the boys also brought their Playstations of course.
Question: Your players are all at a special age in their development. Is that a challenge for you?
Wück: A very interesting challenge, yes. A lot happens during the two years a U17 team is together - whether that's concerned with a girlfriend, the relationship with their parents or their physical growth. There are always things you need to look out for. For example, prior to our semi-final at the European Championship, one of our players had a very poor final training session. I asked him what was going on and eventually he told me that he had not slept a lot the night before because he was constantly on the phone after his girlfriend had broken up with him. You always have to remind yourself that you're working with teenagers. It's not just a case of only being their coach, sometimes you also have to be a psychologist.
