Interview
Thomas Broich about the academy approach: "I'm positively impressed"
You've been at BVB since May. How were the discussions in advance and what are your responsibilities here at the academy?
"It was a process which lasted a few months. BVB had identified playing philosophy as an area in which there was potential for improvement, and playing philosophy is my speciality. That's what I've been working on a lot in the last few years, almost a decade now. Lars Ricken saw the possibilities to take the development to a new level. We were able to quickly come to an agreement."
What should be the development of youth football at Borussia Dortmund?
"First of all, I am very positively impressed by the talent we have here at the club, especially by the quality of the coaches. Lars Ricken's stated wish is for the players from our own grassroots programme, i.e. from U9, U10 or U11 level, make it all the way to the Champions League. That they manage to not only be squad players at Borussia Dortmund, but also first-team players. To achieve that, we have to think from the end backwards. What is actually required at Champions League level? What does that mean for our U19s and, consequently, for all teams up to the U9s? The focus in playing philosophy is on the one hand on the technical component, i.e. what skills do the players have on the ball? And on the other hand, what is their understanding of the game."
How should the youth teams play?
"We want to have a lot of possession with great technical quality, but also with power and a drive to score. Of course, BVB are synonymous with very intensive football, you can feel that everywhere here. We will continue to maintain that or maybe even take it to the next level. It's about having that hunger when you're defending. Because to play our football, we need the ball. So, we have to win the ball first."
How important are wins and losses for a player's development?
"Both are important, but in a certain proportion. If we end up winning as many games as we lose, that wouldn't be good. We want to win significantly more games. The players need a lot of success to believe in themselves, to grow and to experience self-empowerment. On the other hand, however, psychologists also say that players learn less if they aren't sufficiently challenged. When that happens, we let the best players of a year group play in an older class so that they can be pushed to their limits. That's why we played a big cup game against Leverkusen with a very young U19 team, and that's why we get a lot of players from the U17s to come up and play with the U19s."
What else should form part of the education?
"Resilience, the ability to deal with pressure, to overcome fear, to break through resistance, to get up again and again, to develop strength of character. Of course, if we were suddenly losing more games than we win, that wouldn't be good. Then we would have work to do there too. We have very, very good opportunities."
How individually tailored can this be?
"It all depends on the individual player. The question we always have to ask ourselves is: what is the boy learning right now, what does he need? When someone is no longer being pushed to their physical or footballing limits, then they move up to the next age group. They have to test themselves at the next level, whether in the training environment or even in a game. We give other players more time. As long as the optimal challenge level is reached, everything is fine. It may even be that a player still needs some time in their development. If the regulations allow it, it can make sense to let them play in a year below, because they will experience a completely different sense of self-empowerment there."
Three of our U19 players, Almugera Kabar, Cole Campbell and Kjell Wätjen, made their debuts in the 3. Liga in Rostock last weekend. How important are games like that for the boys?
"We want to take them to the next level as quickly as possible. A game in Rostock, that'a Bundesliga atmosphere. And there's nothing better than playing senior football at their age. It's a completely different game in terms of the athleticism required. You have to stretch yourself, you develop so much physically, you build up a completely different resilience and toughness. The players benefit from that immensely."
What are the plans for this coming weekend?
"It's important for the boys to have a solid footing in the U23 team. We don't want to put them back in the U19s, even for the big games. They are now ready for the next step and should stay there. At the same time, it gives us the opportunity to give the younger U19 players the chance to play in top games. I believe that we are strong enough to meet this challenge as well. That's why we'll field a young U19 side in their big game on Saturday."
And after that?
"There would be no stronger statement than if everything clicked immediately with these guys. But experience also shows that you have to grow into these roles, that you need a bit of time. We will probably have to deal with the odd setback. It wouldn't be the end of the world if we come unstuck one weekend. Nevertheless, this is the path we want to take in the long term. At some point we will overcome these hurdles. I have to give a big compliment to all the coaches who accompany the teams: it's not easy for Jan Zimmermann of the U23s, but he's fully committed. U19 coach Mike Tullberg loves being able to challenge Leverkusen with such a young team. And U17 coach Karsten Gorges, who is coaching an almost entirely U16 team, also wants to win every game."