After World Cup success in Brazil, Joachim Löw has introduced new players to the Germany senior squad including Bayer Leverkusen’s Karim Bellarabi. The upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Poland in Warsaw (Saturday 11th October, 20:45 CEST) and Ireland in Gelsenkirchen (Tuesday 14th October, 20:45 CEST) will also see a change in the technical area: New assistant coach Thomas Schneider takes his seat next to Löw for the first time.
At 17:00 Schneider was able to take his first training session. Since the beginning of September Schneider has been the national team’s assistant coach. Since then he has swapped tips with Joachim Löw, observed games and individual players, as well as spending time with other members of the behind the scenes team. He has met with predecessor Hansi Flick to see how he interpreted and managed the role.
A step back? "No, it’s definitely one forward"
On Tuesday morning Schneider linked up with the national team and the accompanying journalists for the first time. What type of coach is Schneider and what does he hope to gain from working alongside Löw?
Schneider was peppered with questions but answered them all calmly. When asked whether the former VfB Stuttgart head coach saw the appointment as a step back, he was a little surprised. How could working for the national team, the current world champions, be a step back? “I have the chance to learn from one of the best managers in the world and to work with the best players” he said, before adding that “This is definitely a step forward.”
"I feel at home here"
It is a big step up for Thomas Schneider who had a busy afternoon. Before lunch he introduced himself to the team. After the meal it was the turn of the other backroom staff. At 16:15 he took to the training field accompanied by Andreas Köpke to set up training. He had been looking forward to taking his first coaching session for a long time and 45 minutes later he was able to.
The 41 year old had missed the feeling of being out on the field and coaching since he left his post at Stuttgart. “I feel at home here” he said. He was delighted to see the team arrive at 17:00 having made the short journey to the Commerzbank Arena. His first session then took place.
First training session with the team
It quickly became clear that the partnership between the manager and his assistant is going to be a positive and fruitful one. Whilst the team were warming up, led by fitness coaches Benjamin Kugel and Darcy Norman, Löw and Schneider chatted and then played short passes to each other. At 17:03 CEST Schneider played a perfect though ball to the Head Coach with his right foot. Löw then fired a shot into an empty goal and they both grinned. It was clear that Thomas Schneider is already settling in well to his new job.
His personality on the pitch matched the one that the 41 year old displayed in the morning. It is said that when you go into a new job you need to be respectful and humble, but also full of energy and conviction. Schneider did this. When meeting the journalists he answered everything asked of him: What makes him tick? What footballing philosophies does he have? What type of coach is he?
The following is a summarised version of the interview: Despite being assistant coach will he still live in Straubing? Yes he will. Will he have an office in Frankfurt? Yes he will. When asked if he was superstitious he paused for a second before answering. “First and foremost I believe in hard work” said Schneider.
No shouting, just clear instructions
The new assistant coach is calm and analytical, he doesn’t shout. He has no problem with his image. “Arguments don’t help anyone, everyone can see that” he said in a calm voice.
Scheider was engaging and gave many interesting answers. For example, when asked about his dreams and whether he wanted to be the Head Coach one day he said “Not a chance. I haven’t thought about this.” He would much rather work as part of a successful Germany team. What constitutes success, what are your goals? “After the World Cup I thought about this. Maybe we can do what Spain did.”
He hopes that Germany follow up World Cup success by winning the European Championship in France in 2016. “There is a lot of quality out there at the minutes” said Thomas Schneider. “We now need to aim for another title.”
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After World Cup success in Brazil, Joachim Löw has introduced new players to the Germany senior squad including Bayer Leverkusen’s Karim Bellarabi. The upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Poland in Warsaw (Saturday 11th October, 20:45 CEST) and Ireland in Gelsenkirchen (Tuesday 14th October, 20:45 CEST) will also see a change in the technical area: New assistant coach Thomas Schneider takes his seat next to Löw for the first time.
At 17:00 Schneider was able to take his first training session. Since the beginning of September Schneider has been the national team’s assistant coach. Since then he has swapped tips with Joachim Löw, observed games and individual players, as well as spending time with other members of the behind the scenes team. He has met with predecessor Hansi Flick to see how he interpreted and managed the role.
A step back? "No, it’s definitely one forward"
On Tuesday morning Schneider linked up with the national team and the accompanying journalists for the first time. What type of coach is Schneider and what does he hope to gain from working alongside Löw?
Schneider was peppered with questions but answered them all calmly. When asked whether the former VfB Stuttgart head coach saw the appointment as a step back, he was a little surprised. How could working for the national team, the current world champions, be a step back? “I have the chance to learn from one of the best managers in the world and to work with the best players” he said, before adding that “This is definitely a step forward.”
"I feel at home here"
It is a big step up for Thomas Schneider who had a busy afternoon. Before lunch he introduced himself to the team. After the meal it was the turn of the other backroom staff. At 16:15 he took to the training field accompanied by Andreas Köpke to set up training. He had been looking forward to taking his first coaching session for a long time and 45 minutes later he was able to.
The 41 year old had missed the feeling of being out on the field and coaching since he left his post at Stuttgart. “I feel at home here” he said. He was delighted to see the team arrive at 17:00 having made the short journey to the Commerzbank Arena. His first session then took place.
First training session with the team
It quickly became clear that the partnership between the manager and his assistant is going to be a positive and fruitful one. Whilst the team were warming up, led by fitness coaches Benjamin Kugel and Darcy Norman, Löw and Schneider chatted and then played short passes to each other. At 17:03 CEST Schneider played a perfect though ball to the Head Coach with his right foot. Löw then fired a shot into an empty goal and they both grinned. It was clear that Thomas Schneider is already settling in well to his new job.
His personality on the pitch matched the one that the 41 year old displayed in the morning. It is said that when you go into a new job you need to be respectful and humble, but also full of energy and conviction. Schneider did this. When meeting the journalists he answered everything asked of him: What makes him tick? What footballing philosophies does he have? What type of coach is he?
The following is a summarised version of the interview: Despite being assistant coach will he still live in Straubing? Yes he will. Will he have an office in Frankfurt? Yes he will. When asked if he was superstitious he paused for a second before answering. “First and foremost I believe in hard work” said Schneider.
No shouting, just clear instructions
The new assistant coach is calm and analytical, he doesn’t shout. He has no problem with his image. “Arguments don’t help anyone, everyone can see that” he said in a calm voice.
Scheider was engaging and gave many interesting answers. For example, when asked about his dreams and whether he wanted to be the Head Coach one day he said “Not a chance. I haven’t thought about this.” He would much rather work as part of a successful Germany team. What constitutes success, what are your goals? “After the World Cup I thought about this. Maybe we can do what Spain did.”
He hopes that Germany follow up World Cup success by winning the European Championship in France in 2016. “There is a lot of quality out there at the minutes” said Thomas Schneider. “We now need to aim for another title.”
