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Raphael Wicky, congratulations on your first national title as a coach. As a Walliser, do you probably prefer to celebrate your party with wine than with beer?
Rafael Wickie: Thank you. I’m more of a wine drinker. But first I toast with a glass of champagne, then with a glass of wine. Now I have already listed several alcoholic drinks. My tolerance limit is normally a maximum of two glasses.
Doesn’t sound like you’re drinking hard…
I don’t tolerate much alcohol. I never drank much.
Not even when you got the double with Sion in 1997 as a 20-year-old?
No. At that time I was very serious and extremely focused on my career.
You live in the city of Bern. How often are you approached by the people of Bern on YB?
Often. You feel that the people are very proud of their club. The enthusiasm for YB is great: everywhere you see scarves, flags and caps in yellow and black. The same applies the other way around: we are very proud of our fans. Your support this season has been fantastic.
How great was the pressure to become champion?
From a YB perspective, last season was not satisfactory with a third place finish and 16 points behind FCZ. Of course the club wanted to go back to the top. And I wanted to help make that happen. That’s why I stopped putting pressure on myself.
Weren’t you afraid you’d fail before you got involved?
No. I didn’t see YB as a threat, but as a great opportunity. Seen from the outside, the club has always given the impression of an excellently managed club in recent years, where work is calm and structured. There was always very good communication. Everything seemed to have a clear plan, a philosophy. Before the first conversation I knew: if it fits humanly, I’ll do it if I get the chance. And it worked.
They started the season with a monster roster. Was that a problem?
No, it was clear that we would start with a large squad that we would then reduce if necessary. And so it happened: at the end of August we sold Siebatcheu, Kanga and Lefort. Moreover, Mambimbi, Jankewitz and Ngamaleu are gone. In the winter we also sold Sierro. The size of the squad was optimal in the second half of the season.
The problem was more the quality. There are 18-20 players in the squad who would probably be regulars at all the other clubs in the Super League.
Yes, we have a very good team with double throws in every position. And many claim to be regular players. But that’s intentional.
Was it your greatest achievement that you still managed to keep everyone happy?
It was never the goal to please everyone. But a very important point for me and my staff was that we all put our egos aside. The “we” comes before the “I”. We knew that if we worked as a team and helped each other, we would have a much better chance of achieving our goals.
And did you make it?
We all did a great job together, credit goes to the players and all the staff. If there were escapes, we dealt with them very quickly. We don’t tolerate that. But obviously we don’t have a honeymoon vibe every week.
Do you understand when a player gets angry when he doesn’t play?
I even demand that he is not satisfied then. But I also ask that he accept the situation and that he can put himself in a mental state where he can help the team. Spread positive vibes, be ready. “Täubelet” a player, he himself is not ready and also disturbs everyone else.
To become top scorer, you have to play. Your attackers Nsame and Itten are ahead.
The club, the team has goals and each player also has individual goals. For me as a coach, the goals of the club are more important than those of the players. We want to be champion. Whether one of us is top scorer or in the team of the year is less important. It is our job to make it clear to the players that they achieve their individual goals better if we are successful as a team. That is not always easy. But we did it together.
They always appear calm and nice to the outside world. Can you be loud too?
i can be loud i have been loud too. And when I feel like I need to stir up emotions, I get loud again. There is no point in being loud all the time: the effect will eventually be lost. Often more tactical solutions are needed, then I try to convey them.
Sound like you have to be a good actor to be a coach?
You have to be authentic, but you also have to be able to put yourself in the mood so that the emotions you want to convey come across well. I wouldn’t call it acting. I always try to be myself.
You’re only 45. Are you more of a sidekick with your players?
I’m not trying to be one of them, if that’s what you mean. I don’t have a close relationship with my players and I’m not in the dressing room much. This is her kingdom. I remember well how quiet it suddenly became for us players when the coach entered the dressing room. I think a certain distance is important. But of course I share certain interests with the players. That’s why I always try to separate the player from the person.
What do you mean?
When it comes to football, I’m the boss. Then it is direct and then it sometimes gets harder. It’s all about the player only. I always pay attention to what hat I’m wearing during conversations. The trainer’s hat or the privateer’s hat.
In the summer of 2017 you became a coach at FC Basel. Where have you developed the most since then?
Hopefully as a package. I expect myself to have developed during this time as a person and also professionally. I think I’ve made the most progress in dealing with the staff and the players. I then came to FCB straight from the youth team and was able to lead almost 50 men in one fell swoop. I didn’t learn that when I was young. Now I’m clearer. Who has what role? What are his job specifications? How do I want to communicate? What are our values? How do we treat each other? I’ve definitely grown there and been consistent.
Can’t you learn things like leadership in coaching programs?
Difficult. A coach gets better with experience. That is why there are coaches who are still at the highest level at the age of 60 or 65. Roy Hodgson, now 75 years old, has put Crystal Palace back on track.
You dared to take the leap from the U21s to the head coach at Basel. Would you recommend an intermediate step for younger coaches?
I don’t think a coaching career can be planned in great detail. Football moves so fast. Suddenly an opportunity presents itself and then you have to decide for yourself whether you grab it. Basel was the most successful club in Switzerland at the time and they trusted me. It was clear to me that I wanted to do this.
You worked in the MLS in America for three years. What did you take from there?
Great experiences and experiences and lots of ideas. When it comes to data analysis and statistics, the Americans are way ahead of us. Above all, I was able to broaden my horizons and get to know a new culture.
Did you get loose in America?
The sports culture is completely different than in Europe. In America, there is no relegated or promoted sport in any sport. This means that if you have a bad season, you can only miss the playoffs. Here in Europe, many clubs are about livelihoods. When I played for Bremen, we knew that if the club were relegated, 20 to 30 people would lose their jobs because of budget cuts. As a result, the entire fan and sports culture in America is less emotional than here. It’s more show, entertainment, incredible machines. It was great and exciting.
What does that mean for the work of a trainer?
In America it is customary for a coach to have two years to put together his team, make transfers and contribute his ideas. We don’t have that here in Europe. Here it goes much faster. With us, coaches are sometimes fired after only two months if the results are not forthcoming.
Back to the newly minted champion YB. Will you take the rest of the games lightly now?
No, winning feels better than losing. That must remain our claim. One player or the other will definitely get more playing minutes, but we have rotated over and over throughout the season. We have to stay in our rhythm, the cup final is still to come. That is another big goal: to achieve the third double in the club’s history.
Their players are sought after in the market. Worried about your championship team falling apart in the summer?
No. However, you have to ask sports director Steve von Bergen about the roster schedule. I am also involved in planning and informing about possible departures, but my focus is on the next games.
Last summer, YB signed key players from their rivals Imeri van Servette and Ugrinic van Luzern. Can the master handle this again?
Logically, the club looks around the league. And logically, YB is an issue for players who have managed to convince other clubs. You will ask yourself: am I ready for a transfer abroad or should I go to Switzerland’s best club first? And that’s YB.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
