Marcel Schmelzer returned to the BVB pitch last week – for the first time in his new position as assistant coach for the U17s.
“At the beginning I have to warm up a bit and get to know the guys. But I quickly realized that it was itching to give the commands. Especially when the players don’t stick to important principles,” said Schmelzer, who had already sat in on the current head coach Marco Lehmann in the U15s during his coaching license, to the Ruhr Nachrichten.
However, his return to Borussia came about more or less by accident. During a meal with Lehmann, Schmelzer explained that he would like to complete the A license course. In order to participate, however, he must be a trainer in a club. Since Hans-Joachim Watzke had already promised him that there would always be a place available for the BVB legend in the club’s youth division, nothing stood in the way of his employment.
Even if the 35-year-old ultimately wants to remain himself in his new role, he naturally also orients himself towards his ex-trainers. In particular, the influences of Jürgen Klopp flow into his work – not surprising: he won his two German championships under the current Liverpool coach. These influences are supplemented by Thomas Tuchel’s tactical content.
In his own work, the former left-back unsurprisingly focuses on defensive behavior. “I think that the focus must be on the fact that as a team it’s about defending and that it doesn’t just help to be good at football,” said the former German international.
2023-07-10 22:28:57
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