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The domestic season comes to a spectacular conclusion with the DFB Cup final on Saturday (live on ARD and Sky from 20:00 CET). BVB coach Jürgen Klopp is already familiar with the unique atmosphere in Berlin, but his counterpart Pep Guardiola of FC Bayern is looking forward to the event for the first time.
However Germany’s top two clubs are not visiting the capital as tourists, as both wish to add the crowning glory to successful seasons by collecting the famous trophy. In the DFB.de interview of the week, the coaches discussed the keen sense of anticipation in the build-up to the final in Berlin, the German Clásico, the 2013 Champions League final, and the things they have in common.
DFB.de: Jürgen Klopp, please tell your counterpart Pep Guardiola what it is that makes the final in Berlin so special.
Jürgen Klopp: I had the great pleasure of experiencing this wonderful event two years ago. In my opinion the German Cup final is on a par with the Champions League final. The fabulous atmosphere in Berlin and the DFB’s perfect organisation of the event makes it the greatest of the finals. It’s worth a trip even if you’re not involved yourself.
DFB.de: The Spanish equivalent is the Copa del Rey final. Can we compare the two?
Pep Guardiola: I’m not yet in a position to judge. But the people at Bayern have told me the cup final in Berlin is unbelievable, due to the atmosphere, the excitement and the setting. I’m really looking forward to experiencing it for myself and making the comparison with the Copa del Rey.
DFB.de: Were you aware of the German Cup before you came to the country?
Guardiola: Of course. Finals in the big footballing countries are mandatory viewing for a coach. I’m always in front of the TV or my laptop if at all possible, and obviously I was already rooting for my new club Bayern when I watched last year’s final.
DFB.de: Is Bayern versus Dortmund a German Clásico of sorts these days?
Guardiola: I’m obviously aware by now that any game between Bayern and BVB is the biggest match in German football. We’ll see that again in Berlin. And yes, I think you can make the comparison with the Spanish Clásico, although Barcelona versus Real Madrid boasts a much longer history and there’s even more of an edge at times.
Klopp: It’s certainly true that the game has developed into a really big showdown over the last four to five years, although five years ago you really couldn’t have predicted BVB becoming part of anyone’s Clásico. That makes us even more proud about being back in Berlin.
DFB.de: The teams contested the 2012 DFB Cup final and the 2013 Champions League final. Is there a kind of inevitable logic about both making the 2014 cup final?
Klopp: Not at all. It has nothing to do with logic. The road to the final was too hard for that, especially when I think back to our semi-final against VfL Wolfsburg. But obviously I’d have no objection to making the final every year.
Guardiola: Nothing in football is logical. Making a final is a tremendous achievement regardless of when and regardless of the team involved. Both Bayern and BVB have worked and battled very hard to make the final. Neither team received anything for free.
DFB.de: Jürgen, have you shown your players the DVD of Dortmund’s 5-2 victory in the 2012 final? It’s generally thought of as one of the best finals ever.
Klopp: It was certainly one of the best ever from our point of view (laughs). We won’t be showing the lads the final in full, although we’ll definitely revisit the memory of the fantastic feelings associated with it.
DFB.de: You lost the Champions League finale in2013 but BVB still put in a very good display. Did that make it easier to get over the 2–1 defeat at Wembley?
Klopp: Yes it did. The one thing you have to do in a final is play as well as you possible can, and that’s what we did at Wembley. We didn’t necessarily get the breaks, but Bayern deservedly won the match.
DFB.de: Pep, where were you for the game and what do you remember of it?
Guardiola: I was in New York. It was quarter to three in the afternoon. Apologies Jürgen, but I was already a Bayern fan for that match. I was obviously watching my new team very closely and I was delighted they won. I’d have had a much more difficult start in Munich if the players had been approaching the new season still disappointed about losing the final.
DFB.de: The game was a great advertisement for football, so did it make you look forward even more to taking over at Bayern, coming to Germany and contesting the Bundesliga?
Guardiola: Definitely. It was a very good final. The teams knew each other well so there was very little tactical caution and plenty of really good football. It was a top-class final.
DFB.de: You first led your team against Dortmund in the pre-season Super Cup and lost 4–2. What were your initial impressions of BVB?
Guardiola: BVB are a very, very good team, as they showed at the time, although they did have home advantage. We were still at the getting-to-know-you stage at the time, a lot of things were still new and we weren’t as strong back then as we are now.
DFB.de: Your Bundesliga meetings this season both ended 3–0 to the away team. How do you explain that?
Guardiola: The game in Dortmund showed just how well we’re capable of playing. It was a genuinely big match. As for the game in Munich, unfortunately - how do you say this in German? - we were already a little deflated. We’d beaten Manchester United three days earlier, we’d already wrapped up the championship, we were 20 points ahead of BVB, and we had the DFB Cup semi-final three days later. It wasn’t good to lose, but it was somehow understandable.
Klopp: And let’s not forget both games were actually a lot closer than the result suggests.
DFB.de: Six coaches have won the DFB Cup three times in the past. Jürgen, you seem to be one of the few coaches who knows how to beat Bayern: it’s happened often enough in the past and twice already this season. What’s the secret?
Klopp: If the circumstances are right and you want to ask the same question after the final, I’ll tell you then!
DFB.de: Pep, does the name Rehden still mean anything to you?
Guardiola: (grins) But of course. That was my first cup tie here in Germany. It was very hot and we played in Osnabrück, naturally in front of a capacity crowd. We won 5–0 and our dream of making the final in Berlin began there and then.
DFB.de: Despite all your experience, were you a little more nervous than normal prior to your first competitive match in charge? Or are you not subject to nerves?
Guardiola: I was as well-prepared to face Rehden as I am for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and our next opponents BVB. The analysis and the focus is always the same - and a touch of nerves is part and parcel of it all.
DFB.de: Which moments from the current cup season have made the biggest impression?
Klopp: The final whistle in the semi-final against Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park. There was an incredible sense of relief.
Guardiola: We’ve had some terrific matches, winning 5-0 in Hamburg, 4-1 against Hannover, and 2-0 in Augsburg. Every match and every result was special, because we made our fans happy and we moved closer to a place in Berlin.
DFB.de: Saturday’s match features the best attack in the cup, namely Bayern, against the best defence from Dortmund. What kind of game can the fans expect?
Klopp: A very good one. I’m certain of that.
Guardiola: I’m sure of it too. These are two attacking teams who know each other inside and out and it’s the highlight of a magnificent season for both. I’m certain the fans in Germany will enjoy the final!
DFB.de: According to the footballing cliché: "Attacking wins matches, defending wins trophies" If so, congratulations Jürgen!
Klopp: Thanks, but the problem with proverbial wisdom is that it’s not always correct. But I can say this for certain: the team leaking goals in the final will lose.
DFB.de: Would you say Borussia Dortmund winning a trophy is still a more exceptional achievement than Bayern doing so?
Klopp: Yes, that’s 100 percent true.
DFB.de: How far have you followed each other’s careers?
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Klopp: I kept an eye on Pep even while he was playing, and obviously after he became a coach, so definitely longer than the other way round (laughs). Let me help jog Pep’s memory: I scored my first goal for Mainz in the second division at home to Hannover in 1990.
Guardiola: Thanks for the information Jürgen (laughs). But seriously, there’s no question he’s an exceptional coach. What he’s achieved with Dortmund is magnificent, and the team bears all his hallmarks. I’m really looking forward to crossing swords with him again in Berlin.
DFB.de: How would you each describe the other’s vision of the game? What are the similarities and differences?
Guardiola: I can’t talk about Jürgen’s team and I don’t want to. That’s his business and he knows his players better than I do. But everyone knows we never have it easy against Dortmund.
Klopp: I think we’d be going too far if we went into the details. But I have the impression we’re both in love with this game. We favour a different style of play and that might be down to our different character attributes. But I do think you always sense a deep love for the game.
DFB.de: If you were handing out end-of-term grades, what has the 2013/2014 season earned?
Klopp: It depends a little on the result in the cup final, but it’s definitely somewhere between A and A-.
Guardiola: We’ve had a magnificent season. We’ve collected three trophies so far: the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, and the German championship by a 19-point margin. We also made the Champions League semi-finals and we’re about to contest the DFB Cup final, so it’s been a very good season.
