Coaches are like teachers, says Bernd Storck

File picture of Hungary’s U-20 side coach Bernd Storck.Agencies/HamiltonAfter brilliantly disposing of Korea DPR 5-1 in their opening match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 on Monday, Hungary’s players and staff have been enjoying a brief moment of rest and recuperation at their New Plymouth base, before focusing on the next task at hand.And it is certainly a daunting test – in the shape of a formidable and free-scoring Brazilian side – that awaits the young Magyars at Stadium Taranaki today evening, but their German coach, Bernd Storck, believes that his charges are ready to rise to the challenge.“Brazil are a bit like us in that they recently brought in some new blood and changed their coach,” Storck, who only took over the Hungarian U-20 team three months ago, told FIFA.com. “We’re not afraid of them. I’ll prepare my players just like I did for the Korea DPR game. I’m familiar with the Brazilians’ style, and I know how to play against them.”The Herne native’s confident approach is founded on many years of experience in the football world. After enjoying a solid playing career, during which he lifted the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund in 1989, he turned his hand to coaching, attracted by the pedagogical aspect of the role.“I love to pass on what I’ve learned. In my opinion, coaches are just like teachers. Our goal is to help our students to develop and acquire the extensive tactical, technical and physical knowledge that’s required to reach the upper levels of the game and flourish,” said the admirer of Ottmar Hitzfeld, of whom he added, “He’s been a great inspiration to me. I learned so much from him.”Storck undertook his apprenticeship at Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund, where he fulfilled the role of assistant coach, prior to striking out on his own in 2008, satisfying his love of working with young footballers as sporting director by taking the reins of the U-21 sides of Kazakhstan and Olympiacos, with a two-year spell at the helm of the Kazakh senior team sandwiched in between.In early 2015, he was put in charge of all of Hungary’s national youth teams as the Hungarian Football Federation’s director of sport.“I oversee the entire youth set-up,” he explained. “I’ve implemented a development strategy that applies to all youth categories. It includes several different elements, such as discipline, physical condition, style of play and tactical acumen. It means we can have a consistent approach from the U-15s up to the U-21s, while preparing them to join the senior team.“It’s a huge challenge, but I love it. It’s so exciting to try and find the right path that will help our players to become a success.”Tactical tweaksAnd what better occasion than the U-20 World Cup, for which Storck decided to take charge of the team himself, to accelerate that process?“Putting a team together in such a short space of time was a real challenge. Pure talent was my only criterion when picking players, and in the end my squad is younger than average, compared to the other sides. Getting them to a point where they can compete physically has been tricky, but our hard work in that department paid off against the Koreans.“Stepping back and being objective for a moment, they’ve made great progress. They’re keen to show the world that Hungary can still produce top-quality players.”And while the sprightly Hungarians showed their class in their first Group E encounter, they also have their coach to thank for his tactical flexibility. Despite seeing them take a 2-1 lead into the dressing room at the break, Storck made adjustments to his initial system that proved to be decisive.“I realise that making changes when your team is leading might seem strange, but I wasn’t totally satisfied with the way we were playing. And so I had them switch from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2, because we desperately needed to block their long balls. I had to help them; I’m not sure we would have won if we’d stuck to the original gameplan,” said the former defender.Although Storck is clearly not the type to rest on his laurels, he nevertheless has high hopes for this present crop of players. “When I started this job, I was often told that we lacked talent. Yesterday’s match was proof that this is not the case. I’m just going to do what I do best – help my players to develop, give them confidence, prepare them for the senior team and pass on what I know about the game,” he concluded, already mentally preparing his next lesson like any good teacher. (Fifa.com)