It’s May 16, 1979. Cup Winners’ Cup. Final. Barcelona meets Fortuna Düsseldorf in front of almost 60,000 spectators in the Joggeli. And right in the middle is Freiburg’s coaching legend Christian Streich. Then 14, from Eimeldingen, a small village near the border, about ten kilometers from St. Jakob Park.
“We took the 14-seater Drämmli from Kleinhüningen to Joggeli, as we always do. And the whole city was in red and blue. That was extraordinary and then I got a needle, a cap and a scarf from a Barcelona fan, it was amazing », Streich recalls this awakening experience.
He was also often in the Joggeli. With his father and uncle. He saw Lauscher, Demarmels and Odermatt. European Champions Cup. NLA. “As a boy, I always watched the Swiss league on TV on Saturdays and Sundays,” said the 57-year-old.
Flagship club St.Gallen
How does he see the development of Swiss football over the past few decades? “That’s difficult to answer because I’ve never worked in Switzerland before. But of course I see games, »said Streich. In the training camp, his team meets FCSG in a test and struggles, especially in the first 60 minutes. «When you see St. Gallen, you see that there is good development there. For me, St. Gallen is a flagship club. In the whole structure, with Alain Sutter, with Matthias Hüppi, with Peter Zeidler. The team plays great football, very offensively, we had real problems at the beginning.”
After the game and during the break, Streich has a longer conversation with Zeidler. “He’s a great coach and a cool guy. Peter tells it like it is. Then it’s fun to exchange ideas with someone. With one that is so straight forward. He’s a great fit for the club.”
The question of the pressure
To a club that, like Freiburg, also faces continuity and sticks to the coach, even when there is a headwind. Why aren’t more clubs doing this? “Because the pressure is great,” says Streich. “Not only the coaches are under pressure, but also the sports directors and the presidents. And they pass on the pressure, give in and fire the coach. And sometimes it just doesn’t quite fit. It just fits with us. Also because we have people in management who have been there for a long time and have quality. And that’s why the coaches in such clubs have it easier. But we also have pressure,” says Streich.
A first time on Sunday when Freiburg meet Kaiserslautern away from home in the first round of the DFB Cup.
Credit Suisse Super League
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