Mith the term football god Alex Meier never got much use. Of course, he felt a little honored that at some point the fans of Frankfurt Eintracht began to put him above the normal football professionals. But actually he was embarrassed by the term. As it suits his character. Because Meier is one of those humble people for whom nothing is further than thinking that they are something better just because they can do something better than most of the others. In his case, it’s scoring goals. It was 137 in 379 games for the SGE over a period of 14 years. In the 2014/15 season he was Bundesliga top scorer with 19 goals, although he missed a few games due to injury.
“I am a football god”, Alex Meier would never say that. But because he is the way he is, another sentence is easy for him. “I am the apprentice.” This is how the 37-year-old describes his new job at Eintracht. For three months he has been getting the tools for his new career: “I would like to be a trainer.” He does not yet have a certificate, the planned registration for the corresponding courses is not possible due to Corona.
But Meier has the opportunity to acquire practice every day. As an assistant to the U-16 coach Helge Raschke and as an individual coach for U17 and U19 players who are particularly worthy of support. And the former goalscorer can also study theory as an intern. Whenever his schedule as a youth coach allows, he attends the professional training and watches Adi Hütter.
His assistant Armin Reutershahn got him the entrance. “I already know Armin from my time at HSV, then he was my assistant coach at Eintracht for five years under Friedhelm Funkel. We always had a great relationship, the contact never broke off. I asked Armin to ask Mr. Hütter if I could watch the training. ”Of course he was allowed – and not only that. The Austrian even includes the Eintracht legend. Meier is present at the team meetings on the training ground, details of individual exercises are explained to him, questions are always allowed.
“I really appreciate being able to look over the shoulders of such a super trainer,” says Meier, and his respect for the Austrian is only evident from the fact that he never calls him “Adi” in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, but rather always only “Mr. Hütter”. For Meier it is logical with this trainer “that Eintracht has developed so well”. His hints are very helpful for him: why he makes a playing field so big and not bigger or smaller with the exercise forms.
Which skills he would like to see when performing the exercises, which details he values on the offensive and defensive. “Of course I understand the exercises, even if I just see them. But when you get the background explained, it’s something else, ”says Meier. He adds: “Even at the end of my playing career, I had a different view of things and understood a lot of why a coach treated us this way and that. But the exchange with Mr. Hütter makes it clearer to me how much a trainer has to look at the big picture and how he has to think about the right approach. “
He can implement some of Hütter’s principles directly in his youth work, but of course there are also big differences. “Fifteen-year-olds have nonsense in their heads – and that’s how it should be. They are not adults. ”Meier expresses a lot of understanding for the teenagers. “Of course you sometimes wonder why they are doing this right now, but then I remember my own youth, and then that’s okay.”
Not that Meier would let indisciplines get away. “There are clear rules that must be adhered to.” But he wants to leave as much leeway as possible. “The most important thing is that the boys like to come to training, that they have fun. This is the only way to learn properly. ”His job with the juniors is not limited to the role of observer as with the professionals. Meier is on the field, is responsible for performing some exercises and is in constant contact with the responsible U-16 trainer, Rasche. And not just with him. There are regular meetings with all the coaches of the various junior teams; contact with U-19 coach Jürgen Kramny is particularly close because of the way the individual training is organized.
What is Alex Meier’s focus on in youth work? “Back to the basics: proper ball acceptance, ball processing, passing game, athleticism, speed, coordination are first of all more important than tactical training. Tactical variations can be learned later, but if you have trouble stopping the ball at 18, you can never catch up. ”It is also important to train individually. “We have to train for individual positions.” But Meier wouldn’t be Meier if he were to postulate this credo in a loud voice. It sounds more like a delicate hint. With his style, the former striker quickly won the Eintracht Juniors for himself. Shy of the football god? “Right at the beginning, yes, but in the second week that was done.”
After 14 years as a professional soccer player, Meier made a good second appearance at Frankfurt Eintracht. “With Alex Meier we have gained a figure who can identify with the Riederwald,” says Andreas Möller, Eintracht idol and head of the youth training center. Meier says: “I really, really enjoy it. Let’s see what happens out of it, first I just want to learn, learn, learn. “The former top scorer knows that he wants to be a coach, but with his typical North German understatement he adds:” I have to look first whether I can really do that. “
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