Cyan
Nov 19 2004, 12:49 AM
Germany Captain Michael Ballack Talks Exclusively To Goal.com
11/16/2004 12:16:00 AM
Germany’s midfield maestro Michael Ballack talks exclusively to Goal.com about Jürgen Klinsmann, the 2006 World Cup, following in Der Kaiser’s footsteps, football in Italy, England and Asia – and personalised T-shirts…
Goal.com: Since Jürgen Klinsmann took over the national set-up and made you captain, Germany have played with fire and passion, and with a lot more style too. However, the critics are still sniping at the coach. Why do you think this is?
Michael Ballack: "I don’t think it’s criticism as such, but he’s meeting a lot of resistance - unjustified in my opinion. They went looking for a new coach and ended up choosing Jürgen Klinsmann, even though he’d never coached a major side. I’m sure it came as a big surprise to some people, but he can’t do anything about that. People come out for or against every decision with a national dimension. Everyone wanted a vote on the national coach, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Our job is to play well and silence the critics with results."
Goal.com: How do you rate the national team looking ahead to the 2006 World Cup?
MB: "Everything happens so fast in football, you get a couple of injuries, a couple of players lose form in 2006 and suddenly everything has to be switched around again. Here and now in autumn 2004 it’s too early to tell. We’ve only just changed coach and we’re missing a few experienced players at the moment, for a variety of reasons. The coach is trying out a number of youngsters as well. We’re in a test phase of sorts. Obviously, we don’t have qualifying fixtures and we’re not battling for points. We have to try and instil a must-win mentality somehow. That’s tough, because as I’ve mentioned there are no points at stake. If we had to qualify it would just come naturally."
Goal.com: But surely matches such as the recent meeting with Brazil are more than just everyday friendlies?
MB: "Definitely, fixtures against Brazil or the upcoming matches with Argentina and Cameroon are absolute highlights. These are top-class opponents and we’ll play to a full house. We’re all aware of the passion for the national team, so actually it’s not really difficult to comprehend the fascination surrounding every international match. It’s still a different situation compared to qualifying, you have to take that into account."
Goal.com: German football is totally oriented towards the 2006 World Cup when you will be 29 and one of the most important components of the team. Are you actually looking forward to the showcase event, or is it more like taking your school final exams?
MB: "Not at all, obviously we’re looking forward to such a massive event. Playing in a World Cup on home soil is completely new and amazing. At the end of the day, it’s obviously difficult to meet every single one of the demands voiced by so many people. There’s a huge level of expectation simply because we’re the host nation. But whatever happens, it will be an incredible experience and even better if we succeed."
Goal.com: So belief is the key?
MB: "You always need belief in football, just ask any player. If I’m short of confidence I’ll never play to my potential, and if several players lack confidence you automatically get a worse team display. It will be vital here on home soil. The fans have a vital role too, we’ve seen how it is at the last few tournaments. If the team believes in itself and feels the crowd getting behind them we could go a long way."
Goal.com: What drives you on during a match?
MB: "If we play well as a team, if we have the determination and desire and the crowd gets behind us, that’s a driving force for me. But if you’re playing well and the crowd don’t really appreciate it, that’s not so good. But on the other hand, if you’re not in particularly good shape, it’s fantastic when the fans turn things around. You can play badly but then score, you feel the atmosphere change and suddenly it’s a turning point in the game. It can happen very fast in football. I reckon the fans sometimes don’t completely appreciate the influence they have on a match, both positive and negative. Obviously they’re entitled to vent their frustrations sometimes, that’s a basic right, but you can badly unsettle your own team."
Goal.com: The interplay between players and fans is probably at its most significant in England, don’t you think?
MB: "I think it’s an extreme situation in England. Every little incident, every throw-in earns a cheer and it drives the team on, you suddenly get bursts of pace. It goes to show what tension and adrenalin can do. If you’re on the ball and an entire stadium is screaming its head off, then you automatically put your head down and get forward, even though it might have been better in a few situations to settle the play down. It’s all to do with the atmosphere. If I’m playing in front of a sparse crowd I tend to play differently than when I run out in front of 60,000 spectators."
Goal.com: In the Champions League, you’ve just met runaway Italian leaders Juventus with Bayern. How do you currently rate Italian football?
MB: "Getting a result is everything in Italy, although the ‘Tifosi’ are close to fanatical all the same. I nearly always spend my summer vacation in Italy so I know something about the popular passion for football. Italians love football more than anything else and obviously they’re very emotional people."
Goal.com: What’s the main difference between Italian football and the game in other top European leagues?
MB: "Italian football is definitely different than what you see in Spain, where I have a feeling they play a more stylish variant, very tactical but also attack oriented because that’s what the fans want. In Italy you do what it takes to get a result."
Goal.com: And what do you think of English football?
MB: "In England, when a team has their fans behind them, you get a power-play type of football. People want to see desire and passion, although it’s not like it used to be when it was only kick-and-rush. The top English teams have big foreign names these days and so we’ve seen a change in style."
Goal.com: What’s the current pecking order among the top European leagues?
MB: "England, Italy, Spain and France all include clubs capable of winning the Champions League, that’s what makes you a top league nowadays. Spain and Italy are joint leaders in my opinion, followed again jointly by the English and German leagues. France might be a little behind, but that has something to do with nearly all their internationals playing abroad. The French league may well have fewer foreigners than the others, but there are still some great clubs and it goes without saying they have a brilliant national team."
Goal.com: How do you rate football in Asia? Do you think any Asian nation has a chance of winning the World Cup at some point?
MB: "Football in Asia has a special, fascinating role. The nations there have caught up a long way, as we saw at the last World Cup. You have a huge depth of passion in Asia, so there’s definitely the potential there to collect one of the big trophies."
Goal.com: You’ll be following in the footsteps of Franz Beckenbauer when you captain Germany at a World Cup on home soil, an extraordinary feat in itself. You were born in Görlitz which makes you the first East German captain of a unified German team. Is that something you’re especially proud of?
MB: "I’ve never viewed myself as the first "East German captain", I’ve only ever thought of myself as the captain of Germany. I’m proud and delighted, it’s a major honour and I understand the responsibility that goes with it."
Goal.com: You’ve set up an unusual service on your homepage (www.michael-ballack.com). Alongside the usual T-shirts and baseball caps, fans can obtain a signed replica shirt with a personal dedication. Where did the idea come from?
MB: "I always get enquiries from fans looking for T-shirts and other things. So I thought, let’s try something myself and see how it goes. It’s only a few items and I’m going to wait and see if something like this appeals to the fans, and whether they really want T-shirts or other personal items from me."
11/16/2004 12:16:00 AM
Germany’s midfield maestro Michael Ballack talks exclusively to Goal.com about Jürgen Klinsmann, the 2006 World Cup, following in Der Kaiser’s footsteps, football in Italy, England and Asia – and personalised T-shirts…
Goal.com: Since Jürgen Klinsmann took over the national set-up and made you captain, Germany have played with fire and passion, and with a lot more style too. However, the critics are still sniping at the coach. Why do you think this is?
Michael Ballack: "I don’t think it’s criticism as such, but he’s meeting a lot of resistance - unjustified in my opinion. They went looking for a new coach and ended up choosing Jürgen Klinsmann, even though he’d never coached a major side. I’m sure it came as a big surprise to some people, but he can’t do anything about that. People come out for or against every decision with a national dimension. Everyone wanted a vote on the national coach, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Our job is to play well and silence the critics with results."
Goal.com: How do you rate the national team looking ahead to the 2006 World Cup?
MB: "Everything happens so fast in football, you get a couple of injuries, a couple of players lose form in 2006 and suddenly everything has to be switched around again. Here and now in autumn 2004 it’s too early to tell. We’ve only just changed coach and we’re missing a few experienced players at the moment, for a variety of reasons. The coach is trying out a number of youngsters as well. We’re in a test phase of sorts. Obviously, we don’t have qualifying fixtures and we’re not battling for points. We have to try and instil a must-win mentality somehow. That’s tough, because as I’ve mentioned there are no points at stake. If we had to qualify it would just come naturally."
Goal.com: But surely matches such as the recent meeting with Brazil are more than just everyday friendlies?
MB: "Definitely, fixtures against Brazil or the upcoming matches with Argentina and Cameroon are absolute highlights. These are top-class opponents and we’ll play to a full house. We’re all aware of the passion for the national team, so actually it’s not really difficult to comprehend the fascination surrounding every international match. It’s still a different situation compared to qualifying, you have to take that into account."
Goal.com: German football is totally oriented towards the 2006 World Cup when you will be 29 and one of the most important components of the team. Are you actually looking forward to the showcase event, or is it more like taking your school final exams?
MB: "Not at all, obviously we’re looking forward to such a massive event. Playing in a World Cup on home soil is completely new and amazing. At the end of the day, it’s obviously difficult to meet every single one of the demands voiced by so many people. There’s a huge level of expectation simply because we’re the host nation. But whatever happens, it will be an incredible experience and even better if we succeed."
Goal.com: So belief is the key?
MB: "You always need belief in football, just ask any player. If I’m short of confidence I’ll never play to my potential, and if several players lack confidence you automatically get a worse team display. It will be vital here on home soil. The fans have a vital role too, we’ve seen how it is at the last few tournaments. If the team believes in itself and feels the crowd getting behind them we could go a long way."
Goal.com: What drives you on during a match?
MB: "If we play well as a team, if we have the determination and desire and the crowd gets behind us, that’s a driving force for me. But if you’re playing well and the crowd don’t really appreciate it, that’s not so good. But on the other hand, if you’re not in particularly good shape, it’s fantastic when the fans turn things around. You can play badly but then score, you feel the atmosphere change and suddenly it’s a turning point in the game. It can happen very fast in football. I reckon the fans sometimes don’t completely appreciate the influence they have on a match, both positive and negative. Obviously they’re entitled to vent their frustrations sometimes, that’s a basic right, but you can badly unsettle your own team."
Goal.com: The interplay between players and fans is probably at its most significant in England, don’t you think?
MB: "I think it’s an extreme situation in England. Every little incident, every throw-in earns a cheer and it drives the team on, you suddenly get bursts of pace. It goes to show what tension and adrenalin can do. If you’re on the ball and an entire stadium is screaming its head off, then you automatically put your head down and get forward, even though it might have been better in a few situations to settle the play down. It’s all to do with the atmosphere. If I’m playing in front of a sparse crowd I tend to play differently than when I run out in front of 60,000 spectators."
Goal.com: In the Champions League, you’ve just met runaway Italian leaders Juventus with Bayern. How do you currently rate Italian football?
MB: "Getting a result is everything in Italy, although the ‘Tifosi’ are close to fanatical all the same. I nearly always spend my summer vacation in Italy so I know something about the popular passion for football. Italians love football more than anything else and obviously they’re very emotional people."
Goal.com: What’s the main difference between Italian football and the game in other top European leagues?
MB: "Italian football is definitely different than what you see in Spain, where I have a feeling they play a more stylish variant, very tactical but also attack oriented because that’s what the fans want. In Italy you do what it takes to get a result."
Goal.com: And what do you think of English football?
MB: "In England, when a team has their fans behind them, you get a power-play type of football. People want to see desire and passion, although it’s not like it used to be when it was only kick-and-rush. The top English teams have big foreign names these days and so we’ve seen a change in style."
Goal.com: What’s the current pecking order among the top European leagues?
MB: "England, Italy, Spain and France all include clubs capable of winning the Champions League, that’s what makes you a top league nowadays. Spain and Italy are joint leaders in my opinion, followed again jointly by the English and German leagues. France might be a little behind, but that has something to do with nearly all their internationals playing abroad. The French league may well have fewer foreigners than the others, but there are still some great clubs and it goes without saying they have a brilliant national team."
Goal.com: How do you rate football in Asia? Do you think any Asian nation has a chance of winning the World Cup at some point?
MB: "Football in Asia has a special, fascinating role. The nations there have caught up a long way, as we saw at the last World Cup. You have a huge depth of passion in Asia, so there’s definitely the potential there to collect one of the big trophies."
Goal.com: You’ll be following in the footsteps of Franz Beckenbauer when you captain Germany at a World Cup on home soil, an extraordinary feat in itself. You were born in Görlitz which makes you the first East German captain of a unified German team. Is that something you’re especially proud of?
MB: "I’ve never viewed myself as the first "East German captain", I’ve only ever thought of myself as the captain of Germany. I’m proud and delighted, it’s a major honour and I understand the responsibility that goes with it."
Goal.com: You’ve set up an unusual service on your homepage (www.michael-ballack.com). Alongside the usual T-shirts and baseball caps, fans can obtain a signed replica shirt with a personal dedication. Where did the idea come from?
MB: "I always get enquiries from fans looking for T-shirts and other things. So I thought, let’s try something myself and see how it goes. It’s only a few items and I’m going to wait and see if something like this appeals to the fans, and whether they really want T-shirts or other personal items from me."