Lothar Matteus traveled the world as a player. At the end of his career, he continued to travel as a coach. Having worked in Serbia, Hungary and even Brazil (where he became the first European coach in history), the holder of all possible football trophies, apparently tired of exoticism and last summer agreed to the offer of the strongest Austrian club Red Bull from Salzburg to date, and now assisted by Giovanni Trappatoni.
- You worked as a first coach for a long time. Why did you agree to the role of the second in Salzburg?
- It’s nice to work with Trappatoni even as an assistant. In the end, we have known each other for a very long time: for 6 years we collaborated as a coach and player. The current state of affairs, of course, is unusual for both me and him. All responsibility rests with Trappatoni, he makes decisions, but we constantly discuss with each other all current issues. You can learn a lot from Trappatoni, and I am sure that this knowledge will certainly be useful to me in the future.
- Where was the most interesting thing for you to work?
- I was always interested. And in those years when I was still playing, and when I started to train. I always knew how to enjoy work, because I love football and at the same time I like to constantly discover something new. I was interested in both Hungary and Belgrade, where my Partizan club, which did not have great potential, made it to the group stage of the Champions League. By the way, no other Serb team has ever achieved such success. It was exciting in the Hungarian team, where all the near-football structures were thirty years old, and we had to create a lot from scratch. This, of course, took a lot of time and effort, but I learned a lot there.
“Are you not going to the German Bundesliga?”
- In football, you never know what will happen tomorrow. In principle, I am ready for any turn of events. But at the same time, I am not at all obsessed with Germany. The Red Bull project is also interesting. The only thing is Austrian football, unfortunately, of the second grade. This is evident from the results of both the national team and the clubs. Therefore, it will be very difficult for us to achieve serious success at the European level.
- So you have set a clear task: to become a regular participant in the Champions League in a couple of years.
- High goals need to be set. But it will be very difficult for us. Our team in the championship can play 70 percent of their real capabilities, and this is enough to take first place. But when it comes to European cups, football players can’t just pick up and switch, give their all. In principle, the potential that Red Bull has allows us to pose serious challenges to the club. But only if all Austrian football will progress. All games of the domestic championship should be held at the same pace as in European competitions. And if the team is forced to withstand these speeds constantly, week after week, then something will work out for us. So far, this is still a long way off. And this is the main problem of both the Red Bulls and of Austrian football in general.
- “Red Bull” has invested serious money in the acquisition of such players as Linke, Nico Kovacs, Zikler. They are very experienced, but, on the other hand, their heyday is already behind.
- This is a step we consciously took to be competitive internationally already this season. I do not see a problem in the fact that our leaders are already aged. After all, along with them, young people are progressing faster. We are well aware that in a couple of years we will have to replace one or two players, and we are ready for this. And here is what else I would like to say: the money that was invested in acquiring newcomers is big only by local standards. But in Europe - nothing.
- In Salzburg, they are trying to attract spectators to the stadium with a variety of extraneous spectacles before and after the match: they conduct motocross events and arrange a light show. Does football really need it?
- Our club and its owners need this. Red Bull is a special enterprise with a special strategy, and its owners look at football with different eyes. For them, football is to some extent show business. But our stadium is almost always full, a lot of children come. Here they are trying to sell football as a family holiday - with a show, without aggression, without fear. On the other hand, we have a very young football club, and we still lack a specific football atmosphere.
- You are well acquainted with Eastern European football. What, in your opinion, are its prospects?
- In Eastern Europe there are a lot of good players, and the leading clubs have developed infrastructure and have serious financial opportunities. Both in Russia and in some neighboring countries, big money came to football. This is what I like about Eastern European football. But there are, of course, a lot of weaknesses. The Russian team and clubs, with the exception of the team that won the UEFA Cup, did not achieve serious success. I think the point is psychology. The Russians lack character, the will to win. When this changes, great victories will come.
- That is, if you were called to Russia, would you go?
- Moscow is an excellent city in which there are very serious clubs with great potential. Many coaches would not mind working there.
- How did you like the World Cup?
“Not that much.” Football has become more defensive. There were a lot of closed matches. For many, the main task was to keep their gates intact. This also applies to the Italian team, which won thanks to such tactics. But Germany, in matches with strong opponents, did not create as many scoring chances as against weak teams. Defensive football came into fashion, which, of course, is not very good for the audience. If you did not manage to miss, it is enough to realize one single moment and you are the winner.
- And what to do about it?
“We need to look for new ways, but it will take some time.” In order to play beautiful attacking football, you need players who can act non-standard.
- What do you think about German football, in particular?
- Germany after the World Cup is in euphoria. Of course, this event played a very important role in the development of German football. For example, we now have many beautiful stadiums. But, despite this, you need to look at things more soberly. And do not forget that the German team in the last five years has never been able to beat any of the giants. Soaring in the clouds is dangerous; you need to soberly evaluate reality. Yes, we all live this euphoria so far. But our team must now forget about the success and the game that she showed at home in front of her fans, to show further, in other - more difficult conditions.
Sergey Krivokharchenko