Jürgen Klinsmann
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Then you have games where you react more to your opponent because that opponent is simply...
Whether you play Brazil or Spain or France, you will have less possession and you've got to play in a different way.
So by the choice of your players, you think through it, okay, what does this player, now in this case we're talking about Giovanni Reina, with his characteristics, with his qualities, what can he give
the team in order to turn around the game.
How can he make a difference in a specific moment in a game when, you know, the opponent plays a certain way?
And these scenarios, you talk through day and night with your coaching staff.
And we had a situation like that in the 2006 World Cup.
I brought in David Odonko, 18, 19 years old from Borussia Dortmund.
And he was supposed to go to the U21 European Championship, you know,
But we didn't tell anybody that we actually will call him into the senior national team for the World Cup.
So when we announced in the roster and this kid was in, I just told him, switch off your phone and tell your parents better to change their phone number now.
and surprised something, and that's what he did.
He came in in the last group stage game with Poland and did an assist for the decisive goal in the 93rd minute.
And that was his moment, because he was very, very fast, so he has speed.
So in Giovanni Reina's now case, it's clear that he has specific talent.
He has specific characteristics.