Coach Timo Schultz improvises: The material manager is also involved in FCB training

class=”sc-29f61514-0 jbwksb”>

And suddenly Roger Eglin, FC Basel’s equipment manager for many years, is a professional football player. “Roger, you are a fullback. Come on, let’s go,” shouts the new FCB coach Timo Schultz (45).

The unusual measure is due to the staff shortage. With Millar, Amdouni, Essiam, Burger and Ndoye, five national players are missing and Andy Pelmard has also been struggling with a gastrointestinal infection for some time. “Of course it’s not optimal if there aren’t twenty players on board, but we’re making the best of it. That gives me the chance to get to know the players that are there even better. It’s not the first time I’ve had to improvise says Schultz.

Schultz also gets louder

In addition to Eglin, substitute Nils de Mol and assistant coach Davide Callà also have to leave the field. And they move wildly in Schultz’s tactical framework. “It’s about our movements!” shouts the new FCB coach. “We must find our position!” Sometimes East Frisian also throws in a few snatches of French, but the main language remains German.

And sometimes Schultz can get pretty loud too. “Defend well, back there – there are too many goals,” he shouts in a certain tone. And when the three veterans Taulant Xhaka, Michael Lang and Fabian Frei want to leave the training field before everyone else, Schultz immediately calls them back.

Have fun river rafting

However, the atmosphere is basically relaxed and positive. On Tuesday, the team gathered to go river rafting together – team building instead of body building. Wasn’t Schultz afraid that other players would drop out because they might fall by the wayside? “It’s not dangerous. If we had gone to the ski jump or paragliding, it would have been different.” Schultz speaks of a “mord fun”. And that his players generally have a lot of fun.

Among other things in the evening quiz rounds introduced by the new FCB coach. When asked why Basel’s fan bar is called “Didi Offensive”, Schultz breaks into a sweat. Claude “Didi” Andrey coached FCB in the mid-1990s and was criticized for playing defensively.

Can we expect more attacking football from the new coach? Schultz with a hearty laugh: “I hope they rename the place someday. In ‘Schulle defensive’.”

Source : Blick