Interview: "Youngsters in football need assistance"

Nicolas Feldhahn's role at Bayern Munich is rather unusual. While many young footballers dream of a career in the first team, the 29-year-old central defender is a sort of guide for talented youngsters in the club's second team. Bayern Munich employed him only for this very special job.

"Even if you don't know whether you can make it or not, you have to try," Feldhahn said in a recent Xinhua Interview. "Youngsters need assistance, that is my job."

The following is the full text of the interview.

Xinhua: Developing young footballers is one of the main tasks of big football clubs. In that regard your job is a very special one. So please tell us: How closely are Bayern Munich's first and second teams linked together?

Feldhahn: Younger second team players are often part of the senior squads training in order to practice tactical systems and to have enough for 11 against 11 games. So at Bayern Munich young players can often experience what it means to train with world class stars.

Xinhua: Can you give us an idea as to what makes you the right man to guide youngsters on their way up to the top?

Feldhahn: I'm what you can call an experienced third division player. I was playing for Osnabrueck in the third division when Bayern Munich's second team and youth coordinator Heiko Vogel rang me up. He told me what my job would be, to guide younger players. It sounded like a dream for me. I was born in the Munich area and my plans were to return anyway in the next years.

Xinhua: You're the second oldest player in the second team squad and you're one of the leaders. Can you describe what your job is like exactly?

Feldhahn: The age structure of Bayern Munich's second team is special. Most players are around 20 years old, only three - like me - are in the end of the 20s. We act like a link between coach Heiko Vogel and the younger players in the squad. We have close contact to Heiko Vogel and discuss a lot of things that could help younger players. On the pitch we try to help in different situations and give advice to younger players. On the other hand, we're a normal part of a team trying to be successful. It means we have to be careful with our advice. To give advice is one thing, the way you give it is another.

Xinhua: That means you talk to these young guys after training too when you and the coach think that could help?

Feldhahn: Yes, but it's nothing we plan a long time in advance. It is more a spontaneous thing. Meaning: I have a special situation in mind and we talk about it and try to deliver possible solutions.

Xinhua: Does your job indicate that the pressure for young players is higher at a top club than at other clubs?

Feldhahn: Young players get the impression of playing for a special club right from the beginning. When you tell people you play for Bayern Munich you get the attention of the people right away. In their minds is the thought of the first team and the millions of euro you can earn.

Young players often can't avoid having similar thoughts which means they create a special pressure for themselves. But they in the first place have to have other thoughts. You have to take a close look at the possibilities you have at a club like this. You can train on a high level and practice with the stars and see how they do it. You have the possibility to listen to coaches like Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti. So it is up to you to deal with expectations you create for yourself.

Xinhua: As you said young players get the possibility to work with world class coaches. Do they get the possibility to play as well?

Feldhahn: We had several young players in our pre-season games such as the one against Manchester City. Like for the others, it was a dream for me to play against a team like that.

Xinhua: From your experience: How big is the fear for youngsters of not making it?

Feldhahn: If you compare yourself to other youngsters that have already made it, you create a certain amount of fear. Then you might start to say, why did they make it and I still have to try and wait despite the fact that I work that hard, as hard as the others.

To try to make it into professional football requires a lot of patience. You have to consider how hard it is to make it and how high the quality at Bayern Munich is. As a young player it is nearly impossible to make it immediately. The gap is too big. So be patient and try and try and try. I know this does not sound like a convincing concept, but it's the way it works.

Xinhua: How do youngsters deal with social media and media in general as well as being in the spotlight?

Feldhahn: I think there's a certain problem attached to being in the spotlight at a young age. There might be some youngsters that can deal with that better, but even they will have a feeling of being under a certain amount of pressure. Many expect progress will come quickly and youngsters can deliver a top performance right from the start. That is a burden for youngsters. We have to protect youngsters to some extent. They need time to develop without big expectations. A normal performance should not be seen as stagnation, but it often is.

Xinhua: Did you experience difficult cases during your time at Bayern Munich?

Feldhahn: I can't tell you stories about particular young players. But I can tell you, I have never met a young player that was happy about the additional pressure and being in the spotlight. And I have never met a young player that was sure of being able to deal with pressure. But if he does you can always see it on the pitch. Training at a high level and playing at a high level in a competitive match are two different things.

What one can say about Bayern Munich is that, from my experience, the players that make it are the ones who don't have, let's say, a pressure problem and have proved it at a young age.

Xinhua: How hard is it for youngsters to live a, let's say, normal life as a youngster knowing it can be possible that they won't make it?

Feldhahn: Of course you have to make sacrifices. You can't go on a long weekend with friends or party the night away. You just have to take the risk of making sacrifices without knowing whether you'll be rewarded. There is no other way. You can say that making sacrifices is not worthwhile, but it is the only way. You have to try and I'm sure you'll try as long as there's a chance of making it. I can tell you everyone is dreaming of a chance like that. And life as a footballer is not that bad at all.

Xinhua: You're 29-years old. What has changed in the past years for youngsters?

Feldhahn: When I was a junior training with Unterhaching's senior team, I had the feeling playing a different sport. I didn't have even a slight chance. I was miles away from the other players. It took me a long time to adapt.

The youngsters today are far more developed than I ever was. The tactical schooling is not comparable to what we had in the past. Youngsters today are far more ready to take up the challenge to make it into the professional sector. Today you have first class coaches in the junior game. What is more or less the same is the physical gap that needs to be closed. Someone like Niklas Dorsch in Bayern's second team is an exception; he's physically extremely strong and will play with the professionals from the new season on. You have to be aware of the fact that the development in the youth years is often not constant. Often players suddenly improve in leaps and bounds.

Xinhua: In football, there are currently discussions about the continually increasing footballers' salaries as well as the transfer fees. Does that in any way affect young footballers?

Feldhahn: I think it does. If you get a rather high salary right at the beginning, it makes you think you are better than you are. It is not the right way not to keep on working to improve. A lot of world class players show us how important it is to keep on working hard all the time, even when you have made it. Back in my early years I thought it was almost impossible to make it. Today many think they have already made it when they get closer to the professionals.

Xinhua: Do younger players realize just how good the education is that they are getting?

Feldhahn: Some might not, but getting an education like that is normal for them. So you can't blame them for that. For the clubs today it is a difficult thing to keep up the quality and at the same time deliver the message that it's not normal. It's something special you get here. But I have the feeling that a club like Bayern Munich handles it very well.

Xinhua: What is the most important message for youth training in your opinion?

Feldhahn: Youth training must be seen as a process containing several different steps. Each different step has to have different training schedules. At a very early age, fun is the most important thing. Coaches have to deliver the message it is fun to have physical exercise and play together. More and more team spirit is as important, as it is technique. Then you need to go for athletic development. Coaches have to obey these steps to allow young footballers to develop healthily. At a more mature age, it is preparation for adult football and small things like arriving at the training ground punctually.

Xinhua: So details are the key as you say. Did you see any difference in work between the style of Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti?

Feldhahn: The big difference is a clear message coming from Carlo Ancelotti. While Pep Guardiola selected some of the U-23s for the senior team containing the message you could be part of the team if you perform well, Carlo Ancelotti only uses the U-23s to fill up the squad. He tells them: You might be part of our training squad now, but you are still a second team player. He also tells them to continue learning to gain as much experience as you can.

Xinhua: That of course is the goal of all youngsters. Are there any you expect to make the step up and be a part of the senior team?

Feldhahn; Niklas Dorsch and Fabian Benko are candidates. But as I said, there are many that still need time and those two are special. Bayern Munich has several talented youngsters. Every single one can make it. But I tell you what, it's one of the advantages of a club like Bayern Munich, once you are here you can always join other good clubs if you can't make it here to your satisfaction. The next advantage of Bayern Munich is that the club and its coaches work on a top level even in the second team. So Bayern can be a basis for a great football career even if you don't make it into the first team on a regular basis. Enditem