interview
VfL Bochum is bottom of the Bundesliga table with two points and is therefore in great danger of relegation. Sportschau spoke to coach Dieter Hecking about the pressure that is on him and the players – and how he deals with it.
Sports show: Mr. Hecking, how do you define pressure?
Dieter Hecking: I don’t feel any pressure in football because it’s my passion. In football there are challenges that you have to face. But I don’t feel any negative or positive pressure.
Was it always like this?
Hecking: At the beginning of my coaching career, I felt the pressure because of course there’s a lot coming at you. But at some point I thought: pressure is the wrong word. You do something with enthusiasm and approach this job with a lot of love. The word “pressure” often has a negative connotation, I’ve never seen it that way, even if the situation is messy or critical because the results aren’t there, I always see it as a challenge to simply want to do better .
How did the pressure manifest itself in your younger years as a coach?
Hecking: Pressure manifests itself the moment you set goals, and those goals are missed. This is the classic theme. If the club says you want to be in the top five and at some point you’re twelfth, 13th, and you realize you’re not making any progress, then of course there’s pressure from all sides. So there is pressure from outside, but of course the internal pressure also increases because you are told by the supervisory board, the executive committee, the sports directors and sports directors as coaches: Hey, now we need a result!
Then of course the adrenaline increases. This was often the case for me in previous years. Then you put yourself under pressure because you want to live up to expectations.
How did you react?
Hecking: At some point I realized: If I let it all get to me and feel the same way, then at some point you will get into such a negative spiral. Then you can no longer have a positive effect yourself, and I think that’s the crucial thing.
There are warning signs like stomach ulcers and poor sleep. Have you ever been in a situation where you said to yourself: Now I have to change something quickly?
Hecking: Yes, I had it too. Actually. It’s not like I’ve always been in perfect health.
You then notice: your sleep becomes more restless, you wake up twice a night and have something about football on your mind, some line-up or a situation. Then you notice that you are much more restless overall and that you go to the wall relatively quickly, be it over very banal topics. I felt all of that.
How do you recognize players who are suffering under pressure?
Hecking: There are certainly players who suffer under pressure, and there are quite a few of them. I’m very, very confident about that because not everyone can handle challenging situations.
There is personal pressure on the players, then there is family pressure, then there is advisor pressure, then there is coaching pressure, then there is club pressure, then there is public pressure. Then you now have the Internet, where the forums contact you when things don’t work. These are all things that naturally do something to a person.
If you’re always met with negativity, that’s something that affects everyone, regardless of whether you’re involved in sports or generally in public. In general, I believe that people who cannot handle this will never be able to perform at their best.
Everyone knows this from exam situations, and there are also scientific studies that show that a certain amount of tension is necessary. How do you create the right level of pressure?
Hecking: That has to be decided depending on the situation. To take the current example of VfL Bochum: I think if I were to put too much pressure on internally now, it would be counterproductive to what we still want to achieve. You always have to find a middle ground.
What does it look like right now?
Hecking: You have to address the negative and critical things. But you must never get personal, but always try to bring about positive change. That the person also notices: ‘Hey, at least he’s showing me a solution.’ I think the constructive conversation helps enormously in taking the pressure off.
VfL Bochum has two points before the game at 1. FC Union Berlin. They are not relegated if they lose, but at some point something has to start…
Hecking: …I don’t see that as pressure at the moment either. We’re lucky that our competitors down there aren’t in such a position that they’re going to win every game. We shouldn’t even think about it, if things were going normally down there and everyone was scoring points regularly: then you would have been relegated by now. But that’s not the case.
Do you have psychologists on your coaching staff or in your surroundings?
Hecking: Personally, I am in contact with a professional sports psychologist who also trains managers. I think these are good indications; you sometimes notice how pressure is dealt with in business and you can perhaps project that onto yourself. I’ve done these things more often in the last few years.
Have you ever left out a player because you didn’t think he was mentally up to the task?
Hecking: I don’t think I’ve ever done a lineup from that point of view. Nevertheless, you will of course get a feeling during the training week what someone is like. You can see in training whether these are purely psychological reasons why someone no longer hits the ball or why they make decisions that could be disastrous on the pitch. I’ve never had anyone say to me: I can’t do this today, it’s better to let me out.
You were active as a professional yourself. Are there differences between the pressure as a player and as a coach?
Hecking: Yes, enormous. Of course, the player has the pressure to perform because the competitor is sitting on the bench and waiting for a not so good game so that he can then get the chance himself. Then the situation with the team: Do you want to qualify for Europe? Are you chasing goals? Are you a candidate for relegation? That influences a lot of players. But many people only look at themselves.
As a coach you have a greater responsibility, an overall responsibility. You have to manage a staff of 45 to 50 people. Everyone wants to have your ear, but maybe you need an ear too. Then you are responsible for the sporting result. Of course there is also a sports director, a sports director and a supervisory board, who of course also have responsibility for the club. But as a trainer, you are the main person responsible for day-to-day operations.
Are you sleeping well at the moment?
Hecking: Surprisingly well, yes.
The interview was conducted by Marcus Bark.