The German soccer players trust the “old man,” as Horst Hrubesch himself says. The 72-year-old wants to experience the Olympics again. A victory in France would secure the Paris ticket.
“Forward!”, “Cheer up!”, “Graduation!” Horst Hrubesch’s brief instructions can be clearly heard on the DFB campus in Frankfurt. The “girls,” as the interim national coach always calls the German soccer players, “are fit” and put in a tough practice session.
Nobody in the team around captain Alexandra Popp complains about the not entirely up-to-date salutation. “For me, it will always be the girls. They could all be my granddaughters,” Hrubesch casually explained recently. And the players trust the 72-year-old in their mission to qualify for the Olympics.
“No matter where I trained: I always said “boys”. So now I have to say men?” asked Hrubesch, completely pragmatist. Such subtleties are not important before the DFB Women’s Nations League semi-final against France on Friday (9 p.m./ARD) in Lyon. With a win, the vice-European champions would be in Paris. If they lose, they would have a second chance against the loser from Spain – Netherlands on February 28th in Seville or Heerenveen, as the French are automatically qualified for the Summer Games as the host team and there are also two Olympic tickets for Europe.
Hrubesch: “Football is a simple game”
Of course, Hrubesch wants to make everything clear against France straight away. “It actually makes no sense to lose a game with this quality,” said Hrubesch after the 100-minute training session with the final penalty shootout. After the World Cup debacle in Australia with the elimination in the preliminary round and the inglorious departure of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg in November, the HSV idol took over the German selection on an interim basis for the second time since 2018.
“They trust me and I trust them. They know that,” said Hrubesch. “We’re not kidding each other: football is normally a simple game. I tried to explain that to them.” Midfielder Lena Oberdorf said she would sometimes like to have this relaxed attitude herself. And: “Horst is generally a very direct person.”
Popp and Co. have not yet freed themselves from the crisis, but with the 3-0 win against Denmark at the beginning of December they preserved their Olympic chances. However, the 0-0 draw in Wales shortly afterwards was sobering again. But the clear approach, the focus on the essentials, and no overloading of training content is good for the players.
A culture of error is part of it
You will hardly experience a scene like the one that existed in Voss-Tecklenburg’s time under Hrubesch: Oberdorf defended himself on the pitch against the national coach’s constant tactical instructions with the words: “Leave me alone! Let me play!”
The 1980 European champion, actually youth director at HSV, continually instills self-confidence in the players. His credo – “Make mistakes! Try! Then we’ll know whether we’re on the right track or not” – takes some of the pressure off the players. And Hrubesch also said on Tuesday that the team was having fun anyway.
Especially since Lea Schüller managed to end the session in front of the Frankfurt skyline with a header – just like her national coach used to do. The Bayern player is one who benefits from Hrubesch’s experience as a striker. “He knows where to stand.”
Hrubesch’s term in office can end quickly
Hrubesch won silver with the DFB men in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, when the German women won gold with head coach Silvia Neid. The fact is that he will resign from his position after the Summer Games at the latest. If he botches the Olympic qualification, the DFB must quickly present a new national coach.
“I’m also an egoist on the one hand. I would like to do the Olympics again. So that we can get to the Olympic Village again. First and foremost, it’s about the girls, not about me personally,” said the veteran. He can’t complain about the lack of acceptance: “They take the old man with them and it actually works quite well.”
Source: Stern
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