Swiss in the TM interview
During his playing days, Thomas Häberli, the former Swiss national player and long-time goalscorer with Young Boys Bern, had the chance to go abroad again and again, but he always remained loyal to his home country. As the head coach, he took the opportunity and has been the national coach of Estonia for two years. At Transfermarkt.de, the 48-year-old talks about his work in Tallinn, the greatest Estonian talents and hope for the EM 2024.
Skepticism is something that Thomas Häberli has felt several times in his life. In his active career he has played a total of 246 times in the top Swiss division. He scored a total of 66 goals and set up 41 more. Although these are quite remarkable numbers, the former striker has to defend himself against criticism again and again, because the native of Lucerne only becomes a professional footballer at the age of 25, which in the end may also ensure that he only wears the jersey of the Swiss national team once may. Today he even sees the skepticism of the time as something positive, because it teaches him a crucial skill. “At first you naturally ask yourself why they are shooting at me like that. Over time you will become more relaxed and learn to be more resilient, especially when faced with criticism from outside. I am grateful for all the impressions and facets that I was able to collect as a player. I was at the top, but I was also at the bottom. These experiences help me immensely as a coach, because it allows me to recognize and empathize with the feelings, emotions and perspectives of my players,” says Häberli.
After the end of his career, he decides to become a trainer and wants to learn the profession from scratch. He will initially take over the U18s from the BSC Young Boys for two years and in the meantime also act as assistant coach of the professional team. During his time in the junior division, he works with today’s professionals such as Yvon Mvogo, Michael Frey, Florent Hadergjonaj and Gregory Wüthrich. This work gives him a completely different perspective on football and working with the players. “I wanted to learn the coaching profession from an early age. For me, coaching is a craft. The time in the youth sector showed me for the first time how appealing it is to be allowed to work as a coach, because the tasks are endless. The targeted goal is always the starting point,” says Häberli.
Häberli: “The player has to solve the limitations himself”
He then moved to FC Basel in 2013. The promotion of talent is particularly important to Häberli. But what distinguishes the right talent promotion and when can a talent become a professional? Häberli has a clear opinion on this: “A club not only has to write down the concept of promoting talent, but also set an example. It’s always about footballing development, it’s about mental and emotional development, it’s about personality development. As trainers, we should have a great interest in not only developing the athlete, but also the people – and exemplify this. It is important to analyze in depth. What is the player capable of and what are his limitations. The player has to solve the limitations himself. We can support him as a trainer by giving him help so that he asks himself the right questions,” explains the Swiss.
Häberli is convinced that individual players must be given more prominence. “It needs individualism, it also needs players who make the difference. However, it is important at this point to find a regular measure. A balance between team spirit and individualism. It doesn’t work without ego, but it also doesn’t work without organization and order. I have to give the players responsibility and freedom on the pitch, if I dictate everything, how are their own ideas or creativity supposed to develop?”
In 2019, the ex-professional took his first step on the sidelines as head coach at FC Luzern. But things are not really happy and successful for either side. The dismissal and the ensuing corona pandemic ensure that the UEFA Pro license holder begins to reflect. “I am convinced that you will fail and that the form of failure will repeat itself until you pull out a learning effect. I have learned that it is extremely important, for example, to build an honest feedback culture. You are often told that you are the best. Then it is important to be in contact with people who offer honest criticism that will help you to develop as a coach because sometimes you do not see certain things. As a coach you have to learn to become fearless. No more fear of being fired and no longer letting your emotions guide you. Emotions often cause you to make potentially wrong decisions. That’s why it’s important to create clarity,” says the 48-year-old, who creates this clarity by meditating.
Häberli: “Your emotions shouldn’t steal the show”
“Of course you have a lot of hectic and stress as a coach. It is precisely at these moments that clarity is needed,” says Häberli. “Your emotions shouldn’t steal the show. I do this by meditating or retreating to nature to enjoy the stillness and tranquility. As a trainer you have two options: Either you enjoy the trainer job, develop awareness and work on your work-life balance. Or you overexploit yourself, go to bed broken, get up tired and exhausted. As a result, you let yourself be carried away by stress, can’t think clearly and only pass bad energies on to your players.”
Quality of life is a crucial point for recharging your batteries. This could not be better for Häberli at the moment, because the Estonian capital of Tallinn, which is one of the most livable cities in Europe, has been home to him and his family for a good two years. As a consultant for the Estonian club Flora Tallinn, there will be the opportunity to take up the post of national coach of Estonia at the end of 2020. “We made the decision to take on this role as a family. We wanted to get to know a new country, get out of our comfort zone and just do something completely new. In fact, I was hesitant at first because although I speak German, French and Spanish, my English was so-so up until then. But now I can communicate well,” laughs Häberli.
The Swiss received the best sporting news last year when the Estonian Football Association announced its contract extension. What was initially seen as both a risk and an opportunity on both sides has meanwhile developed into a successful partnership. In 22 games, Häberli has only suffered seven defeats with his “Sinisärgid” and has been unbeaten for eight games. “When I took the job, people only joked about the national team. In the run-up to a game, there was always talk of a possible honorable defeat. Something I couldn’t hear anymore. It might sound strange, but I’m extremely proud of the lads that we’ve now established a clear game direction and have been able to show through our results that we’re capable of playing successful football. The Estonians are incredibly team players and by that I mean on all levels. You can see that something is happening in Estonian football and that something is growing together.”
Häberli wants more Estonians in the European leagues
The ex-professional put this point in more concrete terms: “Estonia may be a country that does not have large financial resources, but the money that is left is put into the training and development of young people. It is about building sustainable structures or strengthening existing academies. The goal must be that in the next few years more Estonians can be found in good European leagues and also have a regular place in the respective clubs. What really impresses me in this context is that those responsible from a wide variety of sports exchange ideas with each other. The desire is to get children and young people excited about sport, and it doesn’t really matter what kind of sport they do. The main thing is that they do it actively.”
As the Estonian national coach, Häberli has set himself the task of carrying out a sustainable rejuvenation of the national team. The average age is currently 25.4 years. From the point of view of the national coach, it is important to build up a figurehead like Mart Poom again in the future. The former national goalkeeper played in England for years, played over 100 games in the Premier League and is now part of Häberli’s coaching staff. He particularly believes that the 20-year-old goalkeeper Karl Hein from Arsenal’s U21s is capable of this role. “Karl has incredible potential and is already very important in Estonia. But we still have a lot of other interesting talents like Rocco Robert Shein (FC Utrecht, ed.) or Kevor Palumets (Zulte Waregem), the captain of the Estonian U21 national team. I’m happy about every player who dares to make the leap abroad. But I also tell the young players that match practice is the most important thing. If this cannot be guaranteed, it may make more sense to stay in the domestic league for another year and gain the appropriate experience,” emphasizes Häberli.
For the Swiss, the Estonian station abroad is an opportunity to catch up on what he missed out on as an active professional. Although there are inquiries, he always decides to stay in his home country. This is how the 48-year-old enjoys life in the Estonian capital of Tallinn. “As an active player, there were a few opportunities to go abroad. For a variety of reasons, I preferred to stay in Switzerland, perhaps also because I was afraid of the unknown. Going to Estonia was absolutely the right decision. The country offers so much variety and quality of life, especially the long summer nights are a dream. We as a family are grateful that we got the chance to be a part of this society.”
In the meantime, the sporting goal for the future has been clearly defined: Häberli dreams of participating with Estonia in the European Championships in 2024. But this will be a tough undertaking, because the Estonians are expecting tough opponents in their qualifying group, such as Austria, Belgium and Sweden. Then there is Azerbaijan. Häberli explains: “We’re starting the qualification with the aim of wanting to surprise. Compared to the last few years, we have gone through a good and stable development. Of course it will be damn difficult and would be tantamount to a huge sensation, but we believe in ourselves and our strengths and take it game by game.”
Text by Henrik Stadnischeko
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