Already used 44 players
© Imago
With the second team of VfB Stuttgart, Markus Fiedler is fighting for relegation in the 3rd division under special conditions. The 39-year-old set a record in German professional football this season because he already used 44 players (for the article). This inconsistence in the staff ensures that Fiedler’s team, which is the youngest of the 3rd division with an average age of 21.6 years, has to worry about the league remaining. In an interview with the transfer market, Fiedler spoke about his career path, special setbacks and formulas in the junior area as well as the football for which he would like to stand.
Transfer market: Mr. Fiedler, her coaching career began in 2011 at SGV Freiberg at the age of 25. How did it come about?
Markus Fiedler: “I already had my first coaching station at the age of 20 after the 2006 World Cup. From a mood, I took over the U14 of my home club TSV Eltingen with two friends at the time. It was clear to me at the time that my football talent would be enough for the national league at best. But I liked the coaching job and saw a fulfillment in the young players and teams in their development. Young football. “
Transfer market: And that in the U17 Bundesliga. How did it come about?
Fiddler: “We played with Eltingen against Freiberg and at some point their youth leader spoke to me. At the time, the team was already on the promotion course and so I got the opportunity to train in the U17 Bundesliga. That was a great chance for me and it was easy to connect to my studies at the PH Ludwigsburg. But unfortunately the time was less of success. Get and in October the club has already pulled the tear line. ”
Transfer market: However, her coaching career was not over, but only really picked up speed shortly afterwards. In 2014 they moved to TSG Hoffenheim, a year later to VfB Stuttgart. Did your decision deliberately fell on VfB or why have you left Hoffenheim again?
Fiddler: “In Hoffenheim there was no opportunity for me to be head coach, but this offered itself in Stuttgart. In the city in which I was born and grew up. I absolutely wanted to notice that. In retrospect, it was just the right decision.”
Fiedler about missed U17 championship: “Disappointment was huge”
Transfer market: In 2021/2022 they remained unbeaten with the U17 of VfB throughout the season, but then lost the final against Schalke. How big was the disappointment and what did you take from this experience?
Fiddler: “The disappointment was huge. We already had seven players of the younger year in the U17 the year before. We could not play this season because of the lockdown. But from the circle of these seven, the spirit and ambition developed to win the German championship the following season. Raimund and Eliot Bujupi, who were still used in the professionals, or even in the professionals. The hardest way burst. “
Transfer market: How do young players deal with such setbacks?
Fiddler: “Young players live their emotions very freely in such a moment. Many of them have been overwhelmed. Of course, it didn’t look different in me. But I was the responsibility to build the boys and show them what they had achieved anyway.”
Transfer market: To what extent will your pedagogy studies also help you in daily work?
Fiddler: “Regardless of my training, it is part of my leadership to be close to the players. I attach great importance to understanding your emotional worlds, your thoughts and values.”
Transfer market: You work with numerous young players. Is there a formula for success to develop it as best as possible and how do you create an environment to get the maximum out of them?
Fiddler: “There is no patent recipe for this. Basically, a player has to carry many basic virtues and talents. The will to develop, to reflect on yourself, to work on yourself, work on yourself and to understand your personal responsibility. This is the key to a good development. I see my task in supporting everyone individually.”
“Brave and active playing style” – Fiedler stands for this football
Transfer market: 2023/24 was not a bad year for VfB: the first team became runner -up and qualified with attractive football for the Champions League. They rose to the 3rd division with the U21. What kind of football does Markus Fiedler stand for?
Fiddler: “It is important to me a brave, offensive and active style of play. That we are looking for the way to get the way forward and that we also have pressure to find playful solutions. We want to have control. The overarching goal is always to score goals. Therefore I do not consider the ball possession as an end in itself. If the opponent has the ball, we want to conquer it as high and early as possible. I would also defend the view of the defending for defending.
Transfer market: How do you have criticism of Bundesliga second representations in the 3rd league? Would an independent league rather have advantages or disadvantages?
Fiddler: “The answer to this question is of course very strongly shaped by the interests of the respective clubs. From my perspective, I am of course a clear advocate of the U23 teams and their belonging for the 3. League in the event of athletic qualification. It is a development accelerator for young players. And I am sure that in the end German football also benefits if many talents have to prove themselves before 30,000 in Dresden instead of permanently To play 150 spectators on a side place against another U23. ”
Fiedler about record: “We haven’t sought”
Transfer market: They had already used 44 players in mid-February-which is a record in German professional football-and the youngest squad in the league. How did it come about? And how does this fluctuation make your task difficult?
Fiddler: “This is a record that we have not sought. Because it means that we had to distribute the overall playing time over many heads, which makes the development of each individual difficult. But there were very different reasons for this unusually high number. On the one hand, in summer we had a larger personnel upheaval that was not yet completed at the beginning of the season. have to get out of the professionals in the Youth League, we have always been injured in autumn. And promptly we also had significantly more stability and consistency. “
Transfer market: Your team acquired the call as a “favorite fright of the league”. In the second half of the season, they all beat the first three of the table with Dresden, Cottbus and Saarbrücken. If you take the success against Bielefeld and Ingolstadt in the first half of the season, it is even the first five. Does that show the basic potential of the team and the individual players?
Fiddler: “First of all, it shows that we are easier in games in which we find more space. On the other hand, the current tendency shows that we have gone big development steps. What makes the victories mentioned in the second half of the season is that in all cases we were the winner deserved due to the data and the game shares.”
Transfer market: They are currently in the middle of the relegation battle with their team. Are there a priority for a second representation or the development of the talents?
Fiddler: “Both. Development and sporting success are ideally hand in hand. Of course, the preparation of our young players for the requirements of our license player team is a primary goal of a U21. But that is better possible in the 3rd division. And we would like to continue to benefit from this development accelerator.”
Transfer market: Finally, a look into the glass ball: they are currently making their pro license and have already gained valuable experience at 39. Where should it go?
Fiddler: “When I started in the U13 of the VfB Stuttgart, it was my primary goal to be able to be a full -time coach in the performance at some point. I have achieved that. Now the goal is to do it as long and at the highest possible level. But I have had the experience that I do the best when I develop step by step and always devote myself to my current task. To be able to pay me great passion.
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