Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. FC Bayern Munich: The Head Coach as Coach, Distinguished from the Role of a Systemic Coach

In my very first post, I already revealed my closeness to my club, which I have supported since 1974: FC Bayern München. The neutral football fan may forgive me if my lines are sometimes written in red-and-white ink, but yesterday's defeat in the top-of-the-table clash in Leverkusen, and the way it came about, is a perfect setup for a Systemic Coach.

Similar to the recent matches of our national team, Thomas Tuchel's side showed a certain "bloodlessness." The WE, which in team sports must be placed ahead of the I by every player, no matter how brilliant a star, was at the forefront for Xabi Alonso's team, but certainly not for Bayern. Not just the 1:0 scoreline, but the entire course of the match, and above all the players' body language, underscores this shortcoming.

But why does the coaching staff in Munich fail to shape a team? Are leaders missing? Were they dismantled?

Admittedly, the start was anything but easy for Thomas Tuchel. At the time, the team was certainly still competing in all three competitions and still had every possibility open, but the team's condition and the lack of a genuine world-class striker were not good omens for the phase of competitions they were entering.

If you look at the starting situation on the interpersonal level, another serious shortcoming comes to light: between Julian Nagelsmann and the team's responsible leaders there was a trust relationship that had grown over time, and there was structure within the team. That Manuel Neuer, along with his deputy Toni Tapalovic, was cast aside may not have been welcomed by all observers, but Manuel Neuer himself is not entirely without blame in this. And who could hold it against the ambitious young rising coaching star when he took a new approach to the goalkeeper position?

This whole situation was about as unfavorable as it could be for Thomas Tuchel's start. On top of that, if the rumors are to be believed, the star-studded squad was not in optimal physical condition. So there were plenty of construction sites for a head coach! But the most important task seems to have been underestimated, or neglected:

In my view — and the television images and information from the interviews give clear signs of this — they forgot to shape a TEAM on Säbener Straße.

As head coach, Thomas Tuchel bears the responsibility for that, even though his interpretation of the role seems to focus more on the footballing development of individual players, on conditioning, technical, and above all tactical matters.

Even though the circumstances were not optimal at the time he took charge, he had enough time to shape his team.

In two of my earlier posts (among others, The Jersey with the Federal Eagle – Desire or Burden), I was already able to link to a talk by Markus Weise, Hey Head Coach, Can You Also Be a Coach.

In this presentation, Markus Weise speaks of the coaching role of a Trainer,

RESILIENT, NOT STRAINED, RELATIONSHIPS,

and in doing so paints a very vivid picture:

He lives the role of Trainer in the periods between competitions, in the training sessions, where he places conditioning, technical, and tactical aspects front and center; but specifically in the immediate phase before competitions, during them, and immediately afterward, he is called upon as a Coach. Markus Weise puts it, in essence, like this: then the focus is no longer on technically flawless execution, but on how each individual, using their strengths, can make the optimal contribution in their position to the team's best possible performance. And with that, he makes unmistakably clear at which point the head coach of a team is called upon to act as a Coach!

Thomas Tuchel and his team do not seem to be succeeding at this. At times, it even seems as though structures within the team are being dismantled. Some "unfortunate" statements by the head coach suggest as much, and I'd like to leave it to your own judgment whether the head coach tends to cultivate resilient or strained relationships with his players.

And with that, I'll leave it at FC Bayern for today's post.

It would be interesting to know what Norbert Elgert, the "Knappenschmied" (as Schalke 04's youth academy calls itself), makes of the body language of his protégé, Leroy Sané.

Does this so-called exceptional player actually see what signals he's sending? Here we find a clear example of the I being lived out well ahead of the WE... PERIOD. — Actually, I wanted to draw a clear line between the two roles, HEAD COACH and SYSTEMIC COACH.

With that in mind:

A Systemic Coach, unlike a head coach as Markus Weise described him, has a different focus. Depending on the perspective, he looks at a social construct — for example, the environment of a football talent, as depicted in my diagram "Systemic Coaching, Talent-Centered ©".

In this context, he accompanies his client/coachee and applies situation-appropriate communication techniques to remove development barriers or obstacles.

Seen from this perspective, the Systemic Coach comes from a completely different direction: he wants, as in my case, to guide the individual player within his own cosmos toward clarity, focus, and composure, so that he can function optimally as an element within the team construct! And here, where the work of the Systemic Coach ends, the task of the head coach as Trainer and as Coach begins!

WITH CLARITY, FOCUS, AND COMPOSURE TOWARD OPTIMAL DEVELOPMENT

Until then! Stay healthy, and always a good match!