Behind Closed Doors: Masalin Gets An Exclusive Look At Bayer Leverkusen

Syracuse assistant coach Jukka Masalin recently completed a professional development experience with Bayer Leverkusen, one of the top clubs in the German Bundesliga. Masalin spent four days with the team. He was granted limited access to their training grounds, observing seven workouts by the first team and several more by the reserve squad. His visit culminated with Leverkusen's friendly against Real Madrid.

Masalin was kind enough to share his notes from the trip with SUathletics.com. The following are his initial observations. Visit SUathletics.com Friday to read about the remainder of his visit.

NOTES:
My visit to Leverkusen allowed me to a closely observe the daily training regiment and life of the Werkself (the name [factory workers] given to the Bayer 04 Leverkusen soccer team). The trip once again opened my eyes to the wonders of professional football and the individual and collective commitment of each player towards their vocation. It has been a couple of years since I visited Liverpool Football Club in England and it was great to be back in such a professional soccer environment.

Leverkusen, like most top professional clubs in Europe, possesses a very diverse roster with players from nine different countries. It is a team fancied by many to challenge Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title this year and eight players recently returned from World Cup duty in South Africa. In addition, Leverkusen signed Michael Ballack from Chelsea this off-season which has furthered raised expectations for this proud club. The German national team captain missed the World Cup due to an ankle injury suffered in the 2010 English FA Cup Final and he has become one of the highest paid players in the German Bundesliga.

My arrival in Germany coincided with the implementation of a “closed door” policy at Leverkusen. Each pre-season Herr Heynckes sequesters his squad for a 12-day period in the training facility during which time the public and outside distractions are prohibited. Sami Hyypia's wife graciously picked me up from the Cologne airport and drove me directly to the training ground so that I would not miss the first closed door session of the 2010 season for Werkself. Herr Heynckes is considered an “old school”, traditionalist coach. The team photo was taken during my first morning and this signified the finalization of the squad that will compete for the Bundelisga championship. This was the first day of the official roster and the team will start using their new uniforms from now on in pre-season games.

I was anxious to hit the fields after a short 45-minute drive on the autobahn. Unfortunately, my path to the training fields was impeded by a rather impressive looking security guard and I feared that my trip would end badly before it even got started. Finally, after some shameless name dropping, the stone-faced security guard checked his list and I was allowed to enter the facility. Not so fast however as I was subjected to a lengthy orientation (rules brief) by the club secretary before being allowed to proceed to the fields.

I did not mind the personal security escort because, as the doors closed behind me, I was in football heaven. Sleep deprivation was a thing of the past. The team worked on 6v2 transition games on a small field and the tempo of the practice was breathtaking with a very efficient use of the soccer ball. I almost forgot the words of the club secretary who forbid the use of cameras, phones, and notebooks. Apart from a few minor variations to the exercise the session was practically undisturbed and there were no real stoppages by the coaching staff. Herr Heynckes simply whistled and informed his troops very calmly “very good….thank you.” The session ended but no one left the field. Players started doing various exercises and guided movement patterns directed by other members of the staff. The” injured squad,” who had been working with the physios throughout the entire session, were joined by other players for extra fitness work. After 45 minutes all players disappeared into the locker room, training room or weight room for additional muscle maintenance.

The Leverkusen manager, Jupp Heynckes, is one of the most respected coaches in Germany. The 65-year old enjoyed a prestigious playing career with 39 national team caps and 14 goals. He was a member of the West German team that won both a European Championship (1972) and the World Cup in 1974. He has enjoyed a similarly impressive coaching career, including stints with Real Madrid (1998 Champions League winners), Bayern Munich, Athletico Bilbao and S.L. Benfica. Even though he may be considered an older coach in Germany, his modern way of approaching the game is very impressive. “Everyone can run, but not all can play football, especially as a group” is one of his much used quotes in local and national publications in Germany. His coaching philosophy centers around a wish to control the game through a mastery of the soccer ball rather than through a more physical approach based on kick and run. His ideas are refreshing and all fitness exercises are done with a ball. His training sessions were a good reminder to me of exactly how the game should be played. I truly enjoyed the sessions and it was great to see that both the reserve squad and the A-jugend team (U-18's) used exactly the same methods to develop the future players for the Werkself. Leverkusen certainly deserves the respect it receives in Europe for the way it develops it's young players.

Syracuse University Athletics

Behind Closed Doors: Masalin Gets An Exclusive Look At Bayer Leverkusen

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