The third futsal national selection tournament is a thing of the past. Sachsen lifted the trophy, and now everyone has the same question on their lips: Who will be invited to by head coach Paul Schomann to the training courses in February? DFB.de has a look behind the scenes at the selection tournament in Duisburg.
21 state selections, 55 matches and more than 200 players. The futsal national trophy in Wedau gave the best futsal players in Germany the chance to prove themselves, and earn a place in the newly-formed Germany futsal team. With such fine margins, it was small details that made a difference. How good is their ball control? Who makes the right runs at the right time? Who has the desire to win? In order to have as fair a process as possible, Paul Schomann has drawn out four clear categories in terms of selection.
It was all about their assets as a player. Is the player suited to the modern game of futsal in terms of individual ability and team tactical awareness? Is he able to play in multiple positions? There are big differences between a good footballer and a good futsal player. In the game of futsal, specific skills make all the difference. You need high-quality ball control, particularly in tight spaces, the ability to dribble the ball at speed and the effortless control of the ball with the sole of your foot.
Distinct performance categories
The correct mentality is also vital – the will power, and sheer desire to make the difference in every game you play. Goalkeeper coach Fred Michalsky sees a real deficit in terms of the fourth criterion. "We’re lacking in athleticism. The gap between us and the top nations it too large in this regard." As well as a very high base fitness level, sprint frequency is also important. "The player has to work hard to open up the space," according to Michalsky.
Along with the rest of his coaching team, he places the players into one of three categories. A is for national players, B for a player who is capable of making it into the squad, and C for those with potential whose progress should be monitored. This system allows the coaching team to form various groups, and make informed decisions on who should be involved in the next stages of selection.
Two training matches in April
In the middle of February, the journey will continue for the best 50 to 55 players. They will be split into two groups and the coaches will again narrow down the group. "We want to go into the course in April with a 16-man squad, and play two training matches," explained deputy coach Daniel Gerlach and Wendelin Kemper.
Further selection courses will take place in the autumn, all in preparation for what will be a historic moment. Namely, the first international futsal match for Germany. They will have to be ready by January 2017, when the qualification for the futsal EUROs in Slovenia will take place.
Rainer Milkoreit is confident about the development of German futsal, but warns that it may take some time until they can compete at a high level: "We are nowhere near the top teams yet." Mico Martic, the coach of the Finnish national side, believes that a lot of teams are lacking in general organisation on the court – both defensively and offensively.
Player observations continue
The third futsal national selection tournament is a thing of the past. Sachsen lifted the trophy, and now everyone has the same question on their lips: Who will be invited to by head coach Paul Schomann to the training courses in February? DFB.de has a look behind the scenes at the selection tournament in Duisburg.
21 state selections, 55 matches and more than 200 players. The futsal national trophy in Wedau gave the best futsal players in Germany the chance to prove themselves, and earn a place in the newly-formed Germany futsal team. With such fine margins, it was small details that made a difference. How good is their ball control? Who makes the right runs at the right time? Who has the desire to win? In order to have as fair a process as possible, Paul Schomann has drawn out four clear categories in terms of selection.
It was all about their assets as a player. Is the player suited to the modern game of futsal in terms of individual ability and team tactical awareness? Is he able to play in multiple positions? There are big differences between a good footballer and a good futsal player. In the game of futsal, specific skills make all the difference. You need high-quality ball control, particularly in tight spaces, the ability to dribble the ball at speed and the effortless control of the ball with the sole of your foot.
Distinct performance categories
The correct mentality is also vital – the will power, and sheer desire to make the difference in every game you play. Goalkeeper coach Fred Michalsky sees a real deficit in terms of the fourth criterion. "We’re lacking in athleticism. The gap between us and the top nations it too large in this regard." As well as a very high base fitness level, sprint frequency is also important. "The player has to work hard to open up the space," according to Michalsky.
Along with the rest of his coaching team, he places the players into one of three categories. A is for national players, B for a player who is capable of making it into the squad, and C for those with potential whose progress should be monitored. This system allows the coaching team to form various groups, and make informed decisions on who should be involved in the next stages of selection.
Two training matches in April
In the middle of February, the journey will continue for the best 50 to 55 players. They will be split into two groups and the coaches will again narrow down the group. "We want to go into the course in April with a 16-man squad, and play two training matches," explained deputy coach Daniel Gerlach and Wendelin Kemper.
Further selection courses will take place in the autumn, all in preparation for what will be a historic moment. Namely, the first international futsal match for Germany. They will have to be ready by January 2017, when the qualification for the futsal EUROs in Slovenia will take place.
Rainer Milkoreit is confident about the development of German futsal, but warns that it may take some time until they can compete at a high level: "We are nowhere near the top teams yet." Mico Martic, the coach of the Finnish national side, believes that a lot of teams are lacking in general organisation on the court – both defensively and offensively.
Player observations continue
Nevertheless, Martic did take some positives out of the tournament in Duisburg: "Lots of players look for the one-on-one. That’s very important in Futsal." The 51-year-old praised the players’ willingness to run as well.
Manager Paul Schomann’s coaching team were still deliberating over the best players at the tournament on Saturday. "Over the next week, we will be informing the players who have made it to the training courses in February," said the national team manager. Schomann plans to make further observations of the players over the next few weeks and months. The busy period in the futsal season is a great opportunity for him and his colleagues to see some top quality futsal: The Final Four in Hamburg, the deciding games in the regional leagues and not least the German championships which begin in March. In Schomann’s opinion, there will be no better opportunity to assess the players than at the Länderpokal in Duisburg: "I can get a really good insight here of how consistent the players are and of their fitness levels."
Everything they saw at the tournament, will be entered into a huge database which Schomann and Michalsky opened around five years ago and have been developing ever since. Alongside personal data, there are notes under four categories on which the coaching staff place tremendous importance: Ability, technique, mentality/character and fitness. The players who impress across all four categories, will be taking part in the trials either in Kaiserau from the 8th to the 10th February, or in Grünberg from the 16th to 18th February. After these trials, the national futsal team will be selected.
