The DFB have made some changes to their national teams' coaching staff just days after the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Rio. After his first major tournament this summer at the European Championships in France, Marcus Sorg remains part of the first team staff along with Thomas Schneider and goalkeeper coach Andreas Köpke, who is also Joachim Löw’s assistant. These guys make up the first team management. Sorg, with the help of the DFB sporting director Hansi Flick, will also act as a link between the under 21s team and the first team.
After the departure of Horst Hrubesch, former Germany international Stefan Kunzt has been announced as the new coach of the under 21s. Once a European champion in 1996, Kunzt returns to the touchline after being Chairman of 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Frank Wormuth will play a bigger role in the development of coaches and can therefore not continue his role as coach of the under 20s. Guido Streichsbier will take up this role and Frank Kramer, who was last on the bench at Fortuna Düsseldorf, will be the new coach of the under 19s – the role which Streichsbier left.
DFB president Reinhard Grindel says: “I completely trust the ability and experience of the personnel in charge of each team. National team coach Joachim Löw, national team manager Oliver Bierhoff and above all sporting director Hansi Flick have made these important decisions so that the best footballers in Germany have the best conditions in which to grow and we can continue to enjoy success with the national team.”
Löw: “I’m looking forward to the next few years”
Germany national team coach Joachim Löw says: “In modern football, the tasks of a coach have become more diverse and more intensive. Therefore, it was logical to expand the coaching team with Marcus Sorg before the European Championships. I’m looking forward to the next few years in which our job will be to lead more young players to the highest level.”
Marcus Sorg says: “I’m very happy to have the trust of the national team coach. Working together with Jogi Löw, Thomas Schneider, Andreas Köpke, Oliver Bierhoff, the squad and the whole team behind the scenes at the European Championships was very enjoyable. There are many challenges ahead of us with the Confederations Cup, the World Cup qualifiers and the actual tournament in Russia which we, as the coaching staff, want to overcome. As well as this, we’ll have to keep an eye on the youth national teams and maintaining our footballing philosophy.”
Kuntz: “I was immediately excited”
DFB sporting director Hansi Flick says: “The under 21s is very important for us, not least because it acts as a spring board to the first team. Therefore, I wanted a coach who had a background in professional football, from whose knowhow and experience young players can learn. I first met Stefan Kuntz during the European Championships in France. You could sense his enthusiasm and motivation immediately and his footballing ideas match up with ours. Educating and developing coaches is a key strategy of the DFB academy. This role will be fulfilled by sporting director Frank Wormuth. I didn’t know Frank Kramer when he trained in 2013 to become a coach and ended the year top of the class. He is meticulous in his work and open. I’m sure that his experience as a player will improve our talented youngsters.”
Stefan Kuntz: “I’ve been preparing a return to the touchline for a while. I was immediately excited by Hansi Flick’s philosophy and I’m really looking forward to this new challenge. During my time as a player, the under 21s national team was considered a team of exciting prospects. Today, experienced Bundesliga players who are close to the national first team are part of the under 21s. I would like to carry on from Horst Hrubesch’s success. Now it’s about qualifying for the under 21s European Championships in Poland, where we want to play a big part. As the same time, players will pass from the under 21s to the first team.”
Frank Kramer says: “Germany is amongst the best at promoting young players. At under 19s level, they have their first taste of professional football. To be able to work in this field and prepare these players for the professional game is an important and exciting challenge which I enjoy. I thank Hansi Flick for trusting me.”