DFB sporting director Hansi Flick has named former Germany international Stefan Kuntz as the new U21s head coach. In a short interview with DFB.de, Kuntz talks about his move from sitting behind a desk to sitting in the dugout, his motivation and his goals.
DFB.de: Your move from the desk to the dugout may sound surprising to some. How did it come about?
Stefan Kuntz: As a footballer, you never stray too far from the game. I also worked very closely with the first team in my role as chief executive at 1. FC Kaiserslautern and my focus was on youth work and developing new talent. I have been thinking about returning to coaching work for a long time and I met up with Hansi Flick during the EURO in France. During our first conversation, we spoke about nothing but football. I was very impressed with his philosophy, especially with regards to offensive play and one-on-one situations. We have been speaking more and more and eventually the subject of taking over as U21s head coach came up. I was immediately intrigued. I am really looking forward to this new challenge and I would like to thank Hansi Flick for his faith in me.
DFB.de: What targets do you have in mind going into your new role as U21s head coach?
Kuntz: During my playing career, the U21s team was full of talented players who were looking to one day make the leap into senior football. The significance of this team has changed enormously: today, there are numerous established Bundesliga players in the side. My task now is to develop these players together with my coaching staff, Antonio Di Salvo, Daniel Niedzkowski and Klaus Thomforde. I want to carry on the successful work of Horst Hrubesch. Our focus is on qualification for the U21s EURO 2017 in Poland, where we are also hoping to play a big role.
DFB.de: Where do you go from here?
Kuntz: On Friday, we will select our squad for the international against Slovakia in Kassel on 2nd September (18:15 CEST) and the EURO qualifier against Finland on 6th September (18:00 CEST). We will use our first meeting to get to know each other and to prepare for the upcoming tests.
DFB sporting director Hansi Flick has named former Germany international Stefan Kuntz as the new U21s head coach. In a short interview with DFB.de, Kuntz talks about his move from sitting behind a desk to sitting in the dugout, his motivation and his goals.
DFB.de: Your move from the desk to the dugout may sound surprising to some. How did it come about?
Stefan Kuntz: As a footballer, you never stray too far from the game. I also worked very closely with the first team in my role as chief executive at 1. FC Kaiserslautern and my focus was on youth work and developing new talent. I have been thinking about returning to coaching work for a long time and I met up with Hansi Flick during the EURO in France. During our first conversation, we spoke about nothing but football. I was very impressed with his philosophy, especially with regards to offensive play and one-on-one situations. We have been speaking more and more and eventually the subject of taking over as U21s head coach came up. I was immediately intrigued. I am really looking forward to this new challenge and I would like to thank Hansi Flick for his faith in me.
DFB.de: What targets do you have in mind going into your new role as U21s head coach?
Kuntz: During my playing career, the U21s team was full of talented players who were looking to one day make the leap into senior football. The significance of this team has changed enormously: today, there are numerous established Bundesliga players in the side. My task now is to develop these players together with my coaching staff, Antonio Di Salvo, Daniel Niedzkowski and Klaus Thomforde. I want to carry on the successful work of Horst Hrubesch. Our focus is on qualification for the U21s EURO 2017 in Poland, where we are also hoping to play a big role.
DFB.de: Where do you go from here?
Kuntz: On Friday, we will select our squad for the international against Slovakia in Kassel on 2nd September (18:15 CEST) and the EURO qualifier against Finland on 6th September (18:00 CEST). We will use our first meeting to get to know each other and to prepare for the upcoming tests.
