Expertise on the Touchline

The new coaching team for the Bundesliga professionals at 1. FC Union Berlin has now been in place for almost exactly one month. In addition to Bo Svensson as the new boss on the touchline, Babak Keyhanfar, Kristoffer Wichmann and Tijan Njie are also responsible for training, tactics and goals.

“It’s fun, but also very focussed”

In the age of media and digitalisation, even a supposedly simple sport like football is becoming increasingly complicated. Data and statistics are playing an ever greater role, nutrition and sports science are finding their way into the dressing room and even supposedly small mistakes are being punished faster and harder, especially on the pitch. It takes more arms, eyes and brains to manage this mountain of information and tasks than one head coach alone can have. For this reason, Bo Svensson does not work alone, but relies on the support of his colleagues.

An important pillar in the Dane’s team is Babak Keyhanfar, who was already the boss’s right-hand man in various Svensson teams at 1. FSV Mainz 05 and also followed him to FC Liefering. The two have been a team for almost six years, knowing exactly what the other thinks and what they want to convey to their squad. In addition to planning training sessions, the individual development of the players also plays a central role, as does “conveying a mentality and a playing culture”, says the 39-year-old.

In addition to his own values, which he wants to get across at his new sporting home, it is the Eisern impressions of Köpenick that help drive and have impressed Kristoffer Wichmann after his short time in charge.

“The solidarity and the family feeling. That’s what everyone talks about. You can talk about a lot of things, but when you’re here, you really feel it,” says the “newcomer” to Svensson’s team, visibly impressed.

In his first job as assistant, the 43-year-old is not only responsible for the classic assistant coaching tasks, but also takes on responsibility when it comes to training set-pieces. Anyone who was attentive at this year’s training camps – presented by sonnenschutz.de – could also observe the Dane’s meticulousness and attention to detail. In a simple but effective exercise, all the outfield players had to prove their strength at throw-ins until all the distances had been determined.

Tijan Njie, who also works as a match analyst in addition to being an assistant coach, has a similar level of precision. He analyses the aerial shots after training sessions and matches and uses them to justify his advice and tips. Like his colleagues, the 31-year-old also enjoys the confidence of his head coach in his own work and wants to continue to help “contribute the idea of how we want to play football”.

“When a new coaching team comes in with new content, it’s always a process,” he says – and all three assistant coaches are aware of this. However, after just four weeks in their new home, they look back positively on the past few days in an interview with AFTV and can hardly wait for the competitive fixtures to start.

Quote of the day: “What?”, “What what?”, “What what what?” – A snippet of conversation overheard within the team.