In Kasper Hjulmand, Bayer 04 has a new coach who operates according to clear principles. At his presentation on Wednesday, he outlined his ideas as a coach as well as his fundamental attitude as a person. He has little time for stereotypical thinking.
… his leadership style: I believe there is more to it than being friendly or authoritarian. There is a lot in between. I am very demanding: I demand strict discipline on and off the pitch. I see opportunities to optimize things everywhere. I demand that from myself, the players, and the staff. But I don’t yell at people. I don’t need to destroy people to show that I’m a strong leader. For me, it’s about doing things together. And supporting the people around me so that they feel stronger. So that they can be themselves. I make decisions every day. For some, it’s a soft way of doing things. For me, it’s as hard as if I were constantly yelling at people. I am who I am. Labeling people is sometimes too easy. Sometimes I’m tough. And sometimes I want to communicate. I’m honest, plain and simple. I say what I mean. I don’t hide anything. I expect the same from the people around me. Honesty and trust are some of the character traits I believe in.
… the upheaval and building of a new team: It’s a big challenge because in soccer you need processes. You can’t just press a button and then they play the way you explained it at a team meeting. That’s not how soccer works. You have to work and create every day. It will be hard work, but the potential is great. There is so much talent here, so much quality, both in the experienced players and the young players. And now it’s up to us to come together to create a fantastic team on and off the pitch again. We want it to work, we want it to click, we want it to suddenly explode. We don’t know when. But until then, we’ll have good minutes and bad minutes.
… the cold start with Bayer 04 without preparation: I learned a lot with the national team, because there aren’t many training sessions there. You have to be very precise with your minutes. It’s the same here now. We will have very few tactical training sessions. So we will learn from game to game. I learned a lot as national coach because I didn’t have any preseason preparation, just games and short training sessions. I know what I’m going to do, and I think I have the right experience for it.
… his game plan: Sometimes you label a style of play, and you can always find a few minutes where that label applies. But the most important thing is: if you want to be a top team, you have to be very good in all phases of the game. You have to be able to move the ball very quickly against teams that sit very deep in order to create space. And conversely, you have to create that space indirectly with counter-pressing. When you lose the ball, you have to switch gears very quickly. When you play against very good opponents, you have to be able to defend deep, but also very high up the pitch. As a top team, you have to be very proactive, deciding as much as possible in a game yourself. When I’m on the sidelines, I like it best when we have possession, attack, or get the ball back quickly.
… his approach to his mistakes and those of his players: We make 40 decisions a day, but we are who we are. We all do our best, but we’re not perfect. And I just want to show who I am and lead with my identity. Life is too short to play a role and be someone you’re not supposed to be. When I make mistakes, I don’t go around for days saying I made this or that mistake. But sometimes it is what it is. I am who I am. .. his coaching staff with Dutchman Rogier Meijer and Spaniard Sergi Runge, who has a Swiss passport, as well as another possible confidant: We’ll start with the quality we have in the staff. I think it’s great that we’re diverse, with people from different backgrounds, but we have one thing in common: the way we want to play and train. And just like with the team, the coaches also have to form a new team. We will work day and night to get a very good staff. And then we’ll see what happens. But I’m very happy with the people I’ve met, including in the back office. There is so much quality.
… his return to Copenhagen for Bayer 04’s first Champions League game: At the moment, I’m very focused on Frankfurt. But of course this game is a big deal in Denmark. It was meant to be that we play our first Champions League game in Copenhagen. When we’re there, I’ll probably feel a little more about it. For me, it’s a soccer game. But it’s strange to come back to the “Parken” and play the first Champions League game there.
