DFB.de: What do you think about the way that Spain went about achieving success in recent years?
Vogts: A few years ago they were at the level that we’re at now. The young players were receiving excellent training and education. This is now the case here. Nearly all of our teams are the best in the world in their respective field. There’s a lot of potential out there.
DFB.de: Lahm, Klose and Mertesacker retired after the World Cup in Brazil. Who do you think has to pick up the mantle?
Vogts: I don’t really have the right knowledge to have a say on that. Joachim Löw will decide. Generally it has to be a player who can play a leading role on and off the pitch. Khedira fits the bill but he needs to be a regular at Juventus too.
DFB.de: How long can you celebrate a success before it starts to have an impact on the next challenge?
Vogts: It’s a psychological thing. If you’re not properly focussed than the team are losing something. It’s also worth noting that everyone wants to beat the World Champions, so in essence you can only lose. Thankfully, we have a lot of good characters and lads in the squad, so they’ll be back in the swing of things pretty quickly.
The opening game of Euro 2016 is one year and one day away. Next year is the 20th anniversary of Germany’s last triumph in the tournament. Berti Vogts coached the team to success in 1996 and won the tournament as a placer in 1972.
The 68-year-old won 96 caps for Germany and has also been the manager of Kuwait, Scotland, Nigeria and Azerbaijan. He is currently a member of Jürgen Klinsmann’s USA coaching staff and will be on the bench on Wednesday for the friendly against his homeland. He spoke to DFB.de ahead of the game.
DFB.de: Mr Vogts, the European Championship is next year. What are your thoughts on Germany’s chances?
Berti Vogts: In my opinion they are the clear favourites. The Bundesliga and DFB have worked together to create a good environment, which is ideal for all national team bosses. Every player knows their place within the set-up, which is an absolute advantage.
DFB.de: How do you see the coming months panning out?
Vogts: The past few years have been dominated by the Spanish and now it’s the German era! I think the team are in the perfect condition now and are rather mature so following up the World Cup victory with European success is the next logical step.
DFB.de: When you left the job in 1998, did you imagine the side would have to wait until 2014 to lift a title?
Vogts: We made some changes to our set-up in 2000 and we’re now being rewarded for the work that we’ve done. The association and league have worked well together. You could pick two XIs now, which would have been unthinkable a few years ago. A lot of the team are based in Germany, which also helps. I had nine players playing in Italy whilst I was in charge. The cooperation between the DFB and the league has been crucial.
DFB.de: What do you think about the way that Spain went about achieving success in recent years?
Vogts: A few years ago they were at the level that we’re at now. The young players were receiving excellent training and education. This is now the case here. Nearly all of our teams are the best in the world in their respective field. There’s a lot of potential out there.
DFB.de: Lahm, Klose and Mertesacker retired after the World Cup in Brazil. Who do you think has to pick up the mantle?
Vogts: I don’t really have the right knowledge to have a say on that. Joachim Löw will decide. Generally it has to be a player who can play a leading role on and off the pitch. Khedira fits the bill but he needs to be a regular at Juventus too.
DFB.de: How long can you celebrate a success before it starts to have an impact on the next challenge?
Vogts: It’s a psychological thing. If you’re not properly focussed than the team are losing something. It’s also worth noting that everyone wants to beat the World Champions, so in essence you can only lose. Thankfully, we have a lot of good characters and lads in the squad, so they’ll be back in the swing of things pretty quickly.
