After managing director Alexander Rosen, Pirmin Schwegler and Bastian Huber were recently promoted to new managerial positions at TSG Hoffenheim. Here the two talk about their roles, tasks and goals.
Pirmin Schwegler in a media round on Monday. IMAGO/Northphoto
Michael Pfeifer reports from Hoffenheim’s training camp in Kitzbühel
About the realignment:
Schwegler: We simply noticed that the tasks and structures in the clubs are getting bigger and more complex. For this reason, the association has decided to redistribute the tasks a bit. We have now set up a good team here that works well together and works through the incredibly diverse topics together.
Huber: With his promotion to the management board, Alexander Rosen now has additional areas of responsibility, so internally it quickly became clear that we as an association would have to restructure this department. In principle, however, all of our areas of responsibility are not set in stone. Pirmin will be very close to the team and I’ll be more in the background to network and connect and continue to be responsible for scouting. For example, Pirmin is already present at the scouting meetings.
Huber announces transfers
About the hierarchy:
Schwegler: At the end of the day, as the managing director, Alex always has the last and decisive word. However, we are involved in all processes and therefore informed about all steps. Transfer processes and details in particular were still new to me, especially at the beginning, but I find them incredibly exciting. I can and want to learn and develop in this area in the future.
Huber: Alex is and will remain in charge, of course, we are helping him a bit, so to speak. As far as transfers are concerned, there are three of us involved in all processes and we exchange information several times a day. By the end of the transfer period in September there will certainly be something going on in both directions in the squad – both in terms of arrivals and departures.
About the recent crisis:
Schwegler: We had ups and downs, things went really well for weeks and then there were phases that almost broke our necks in terms of sport. On the one hand, that speaks for the fact that we have a lot of talent, but on the other hand for the fact that we lacked sharpness in some situations. And that has to get better, so we absolutely have to keep at it. But everyone in the club is required.
Huber: Football is always about probabilities – and we try to increase them so that such fluctuations in performance no longer happen to us in this form and we have as carefree a season as possible ahead of us.
I see myself as a kind of link in order to get a lot of information and, if necessary, to intervene at an early stage.
About higher pressure to perform:
Schwegler: It’s not just about putting a certain pressure on the team to perform, but also taking the pressure off. It’s a lot about a personal perception and a certain feeling for finding out what’s on the boys’ or the coach’s mind. I’m with Rino (Pellegrino Matarazzo, d. Red) daily open and honest in exchange. I see myself as a kind of link in order to get a lot of information and, if necessary, to intervene at an early stage. It’s clear that we just want to be and stay mentally sharp and very performance-oriented.
On the phenomenon of the team delivering when it mattered:
Schwegler: To be honest, I’d rather have it that way than not being able to perform under pressure. Otherwise things would definitely have gone wrong last season. It was a strong signal from the team to pull off such performances under such huge pressure. If it should really be necessary at some point, we just have to increase the pressure. But the boys know themselves that it’s better not to get into such a negative phase as in the past season. Nevertheless, I have to say again: respect to the boys for the last few weeks of the past season.
Huber: Something grew there. And that’s exactly what we need to build on now.
About Reliable Consistency:
Schwegler: Of course that would be nice. But the Bundesliga is too hard and narrow for guarantees. Nevertheless, we definitely want to consolidate and further develop this sharpness and hardness in the team in order to avoid crises as best as possible. I will be close to the team and the coach every day. At the moment we already have a team with which we are already satisfied for the most part. So I wouldn’t have a stomach ache if the Bundesliga started now.
2023-07-19 08:29:18
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