Robin Dutt started as coach of SC Freiburg in 2007, directly after the 16-year Volker Finke era. In the kicker interview, Dutt now talks about Streich’s successor Julian Schuster, who was inexperienced as a head coach and whom he once brought to Freiburg – and recalls a prominent example.
Robin Dutt once followed Volker Finke in Freiburg – and can therefore easily put himself in Julian Schuster’s position. IMAGO/Eibner Europe
So far, Dutt is the only one who knows what it feels like to step into huge coaching shoes at SC Freiburg. After 16 years with Finke, the Breisgauer team signed the then largely unknown third division coach from the Stuttgarter Kickers in 2007. In the second year, Dutt led the sports club back into the Bundesliga, where he was recommended for the coaching job at Bayer 04 Leverkusen with the impressive final placings of 14th (2010) and ninth (2011).
Dutt worked in Freiburg for four generally successful years and is now talking about Julian Schuster, the successor to long-term successful coach Christian Streich. A-youth coach Streich was part of Dutt’s coaching staff as an assistant and Schuster joined as a player in 2008.
Mr. Dutt, what went through your head when you found out that Julian Schuster was to be Christian Streich’s successor?
I wasn’t surprised. I brought Julian from the second team at VfB Stuttgart to Freiburg. He developed into a regular player and second captain within the first year. Even back then, at the age of 23 or 24, he was a very good strategist, a leader with whom you as a coach could also talk about tactical plans and approaches.
Schuster was a late starter as a player, played in the district and district leagues until the age of 19, then played for four years in the third-class regional league team of VfB. Why did you see more in him, what made him stand out?
I come from Stuttgart and was able to assess it perfectly through several observations. We even agreed the year before. But then, as I remember it, he converted two free kicks, after which VfB vetoed it on the premise of giving him a chance with the professionals. But that was limited to three missions. For us it took him half a year to get started, then he became a regular and quickly became second captain behind Heiko Butscher. Julian was later consistently first captain under Christian.
In the Bundesliga we were one of the first to introduce the tipping six with him.
Because despite clear deficits in terms of athleticism and speed, he managed to make his mark in the Bundesliga.
Exactly, Julian was a typical Freiburg player who was able to develop better in the quieter SC environment than, for example, at VfB. In the Bundesliga, we were one of the first to introduce the tipping six, which was already standard practice in Spain at the time. Dropping into the last line alongside the central defenders as a free man in order to build up the game with the advantage – this role was predestined for him.
Now, after six years of experience in the background as a liaison and assistant coach, he is following in Christian Streich’s big footsteps as head coach. That’s a big burden.
True, but I also came from the 3rd league back then and inherited Volker Finke’s great legacy. There is a lot of support internally at SC Freiburg, there is more teamwork overall than anywhere else, so such a big challenge is a little easier to overcome.
“It also worked for Jürgen Klopp in Mainz back then.”
However, you had previously been the head coach of teams in the Oberliga and the then third-tier Regionalliga for years. Isn’t it a problem that Schuster has never had the main responsibility for training and coaching a team, not even at the youth level?
In my opinion, that would be a problem with 16 to 17 other Bundesliga teams. As a head coach, in addition to the technical work, you also have to pay attention to and react to currents within a club. Media work with its constant focus should not be underestimated and then you have to moderate the many individual interests in a squad. Basically, I wouldn’t recommend entrusting a Bundesliga job to a coach without head coaching experience.
And in Freiburg?
This is possible if the candidate is exceptionally talented. It also worked for Jürgen Klopp in Mainz when he suddenly went from being a player to being a coach. I see a great coaching talent in Julian and I am convinced that in combination with the supportive environment at SC it will work 100 percent.
Robin Dutt and Julian Schuster together in Freiburg in November 2009. imago sports photography service
What does “hit” mean in this context?
That is the crucial question. At SC Freiburg, hitting means something different than at other locations. SC is more about the content work, the basic development process. In an emergency, relegation can even happen, as happened under Christian Streich, who then led the team to direct promotion again. In Freiburg, success is not only measured by the results from the weekend and the place in the table.
2024-03-24 13:42:00
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