According to sports director Klemens Hartenbach from SC Freiburg, the familiar environment of the club is one of the main reasons for the successful work of coach Christian Streich.
“Before, and independently of SC Freiburg, Christian had been thinking for a long time: Is that me? Am I the head coach of a team in the 1st Bundesliga – with everything that goes with it? I always told him that there was only one answer for me there, sporty anyway,” said Hartenbach in an interview with “Spox” and “Goal”.
“Only: If he had started at a club where, as a coach, you suspect someone behind every hedge who would like to put a dagger in your back, to put it bluntly – that would have failed him. This loss of energy in places that have nothing to do with football would have worn him out too much,” added Hartenbach.
Streich, like Hartenbach, has been working for the Baden Bundesliga team for over 20 years. He became head coach during the winter break of the 2011/2012 season, but initially hesitated with his commitment. Streich, whose team meets RB Leipzig in the DFB Cup final this Saturday (8:00 p.m.) in Berlin, has long since made a name for himself off the pitch with his clear opinion on many socio-political issues.
“You have to make it clear that he only talks about things outside of football when asked. Christian doesn’t go to a press conference and want to lecture someone,” said Hartenbach.
“I know that he reads a lot of books at the same time and deals intensively with numerous topics. That’s why I don’t think it’s fundamentally wrong that he expresses his view of the world, its history and topicality or how people live together. In my eyes, he always does this with an open, approachable manner and never comes across as know-it-all.”
The way Streich holds his press rounds is “admirable”.