The principle of Bernd Neuendorf’s newly established task force is solid: lean on the experience and wisdom of familiar veteran figures to get a young and troublingly unsuccessful side back on track.
But for too long German football has relied on the same voices. This time is no different.
There is no denying the football knowledge of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Matthias Sammer, Oliver Kahn, or Rudi Völler. But is the knowledge of a group of men born within nearly a decade of one another diverse enough to guide a modern Germany team into a successful future?
German football needs fresh ideas and new perspectives. It seems only fair to ask whether the aforementioned men, and Red Bull’s Head of Soccer and former RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, the other member of the DFB’s new advisory board, are truly the ones to provide that.
Not only have these men grown up and then played in largely the same generation of German football, they have also become hugely influential figures in the modern era. Their decisions at club level have shaped the development of the game in Germany, and affected the national team as a result. Neuendorf said this group is “well aware of its responsibility” in returning Germany to winning ways. Of course it is! This group of men has been moulding German football for decades. The only difference now is they’ve been asked to do it by the DFB in an official capacity.
Missed chance
They also already know head coach Hansi Flick, a former Bayern Munich coach and DFB sporting director, really well. With that comes trust but it also begs the question: how fresh can any ideas be from a group that has effectively been working together for years?
In football terms, Matthias Sammer has shown himself to be one of the smartest minds and is the most likely source of real innovation but as a self-proclaimed disbeliever in flat hierarchies it will be curious to see how he works in a group with such large personalities.
In short, how on earth does Germany intend to compete on and off the field in the future if the people advising the head coach, the DFB and its president are all coming from the same era of thought?
Why not include former Germany and Schalke striker Gerald Asamoah to get his thoughts on the number nine issue, or the DFB’s very own head of coaching instruction Daniel Niedzkowski about playing style, or former World Cup winning women’s coach Tina Theune for her analysis, or even other associations for how they have reestablished a connection with their fan base?
There are numerous other perspectives that are of equal value. Perhaps they are being heard but to not to include such voices in an advisory board is not only to miss out on the effect differing ideas have on a group, but also the energy of something and someone new.
What remains is a recycled attempt at a rebuild with familiar faces that clearly have something to offer but lack that different perspective that so often leads to true change.
Edited by: Matt Pearson
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