Jurgen Klopp celebrated his contract extension this week at Borussia Dortmund; dusting off those Halloween cob-webs to smash Bundesliga bogey-team VfB Stuttgart 6-1 at Signal Iduna Park on Friday.
Six years – and 236 games – is a coaching milestone worth being joyous about considering the missing longevity in modern day club football.
Klopp’s consultant Marc Kosicke told German radio that the Dortmund coach’s commitment to the club is creating the same steel as Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United or Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
The modest surroundings of Rot-Weiss Essen in August 2008 kicked off Klopp’s reign at the club; he picked the same triangle of Roman Weidenfeller, Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels, all of which are still integral elements to Dortmund’s defence.
– Ross Dunbar: Borussia Dortmund's success pinned on an ever-evolving style
His appointment at Signal Iduna Park in 2008 was the start of a fresh chapter in Borussia Dortmund’s history, as Michael Zorc pieced together a close-knit coaching team, complementing the athletic expertise.
In spite of the evolving style on the pitch, there’s been very little change off the park with Klopp working closely with Bosnian coach Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz who moved to the Ruhrpott, also from FSV Mainz 05.
In the same summer, Zorc made a sound coup in bringing athletic trainer Oliver Bartlett, formerly of VfL Osnabruck and the German national team, to advance their current techniques following a recommendation from Sebastian Kehl.
Although Bartlett has left for pastures new – he joined RB Salzburg in pre-season of 2013/14 – Zorc was already ahead of the game, extending the club’s athletic department with the aim of replacing without disruption. Andreas Beck was signed from Nurnberg in 2012, while Florian Wangler has supplemented him.
Thus, it seems of little surprise that Borussia Dortmund’s two most successful eras in modern times came under the stewardship of Klopp and Ottmar Hitzfeld – both having served six year tenures as head coach – as the current BVB head coach prepares to overtake Hitzfeld’s record with another league victory in the Bundesliga.
Stability is a key ingredient to success
Strong Bundesliga clubs, such as, Hamburg SV, Schalke 04, Borussia Monchengladbach – even Werder Bremen post-Thomas Schaaf – have paid the price for taking quick decisions on coaches, preventing a successful continuity to develop behind the scenes.
FC Bayern’s long-standing hierarchy from Uli Hoeness and Franz Beckenbauer; to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and current assistant coach Hermann Gerland – who has worked at Sabener Strasse since 2001 – all embody the Bavarian spirit, becoming continuous threads in the tapestry at the ‘Rekordmeister’.
While the likes of 1.FC Koln, 1860 Munich and Kaiserslautern have yo-yoed between the top two divisions, regional clubs in the mould of Mainz have cemented their place in the Bundesliga.
Key to this is cohesion between sporting director and coach – check Koln for gross mismanagement off the pitch – and a strong belief in their strategy on the park, which has seen Mainz spend seven of the last nine seasons in the Bundesliga.
Trends of sustained dominance can be identified across Europe. Manchester United in the Ferguson reign stood at the top of English football with 13 Premier League championships during the Scotsman’s time at Old Trafford.
Elsewhere, Lyon’s seven French titles in a row, between 2001 and 2008, were overseen by four different coaches – Jaques Santini, Paul Le Guen, Gerard Houllier & Alan Perrin – but the fundamentals of long-term success were implemented by club president Jean-Michel Aulas, leading Lyon from 1987, and Special Advisor Bernard Lacombe.
The playing squad at Lyon changed very little over that seven-year period; until recent disharmony – and financial inferiority – has seen PSG and Marseille overtake them in Ligue 1.
Like in France, the importance is placed on the overarching football structure, in which Dortmund have been led by the strong figure of former European Cup winner Zorc for the more than a decade.
Perhaps more important than Dortmund’s footballing strengths, the core of the side remains relatively untouched since their drive towards the first of two German championships in back-to-back years.
Securing Klopp for the long-term – and rumours has it Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid – is another feat of Borussia Dortmund’s hierarchy; not just consolidating their place at the top of German football – but only strengthening a position with the 46-year-old at the helm.
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