9 Questions with Moritz Kossmann

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is Moritz Kossmann:

What is your first memory of football?

The first one I remember is in 1997, I was on holiday in Denmark as a small boy with my parents and some family friends. They were watching an international friendly between Brazil and England on tv. My dad asked me who i'd thought would win, and promised me a Fanta if I guessed correctly. I chose the Brazilians because of their striking yellow tops and guessed correctly, as they won 1:0. From then on I loved the game and Brazil was the first team I supported.

What attracted you to coaching? What’s more intriguing now, developing players or winning matches?

In the beginning it was just the passion for the game that attracted me to coaching, I started when I was 16 while actively playing myself. At the time, I thought it gave me another angle to approach the game, and I always enjoyed being around kids. As I started coaching more and more, the depth of the game of Football fascinated me. 

I felt that while I'd spend a significant portion of my days around football for a very long time, that in truth I knew very little about it. The quest for deeper understanding and knowledge of the game as well as how to teach it, is something that still drives me today and that is a huge passion of mine. Beyond that, I find football to be a very aesthetic game to watch when it is played at a good level. 

There are very few things that I enjoy more than watching my team pull off an amazing combination, in games or in training, or when a player comes up with an unconventional solution to a problem. Perhaps something I'd never thought about before, but that makes total sense situationally. I love those moments.

What is the biggest misconception/cliche regarding coaching you’ve found in this space?

I find it difficult to give a definitive answer there, but my guess would be the notion that football is ultimately a very simple game. The basics of football are very easy to understand yes and that's also why it is such a global phenomenon. However real in-depth understanding of the game and also how to coach it requires a huge continuous effort. 

A game where two teams of 11 individuals can move around in a relatively free manner inherently brings with it an endless degree of difference. 

If you could start over what skill would you build on first?

Thats a great question, especially for reflective purposes. I'd say to appreciate how great a tool the game itself is in order to teach the game.

What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?

I think both are absolutely crucial, and it would be very difficult for me to choose one over the other. I reckon you need excellent domain knowledge to make a sustained success of yourself. 

However it is absolutely necessary to keep learning and to keep studying the game. Football is evolving at a massive rate on a daily basis, and those who are not curious will not evolve and might be left behind sooner or later. 

Also, as a coach, your best tool for teaching is often your own example. Therefore, if we preach a certain quest for improvement to our players, it is best if we lead by example and look to continuously improve ourselves. A certain curiosity makes that a lot easier. 

What is more impactful for a player: psychology or environment? Why?

Again I'd say both. A player continually interacts with his environment and adapts to suit it better. This is a continuous process. As coaches we can look to manipulate certain parameters in the players environment in order to provoke a certain response to that stimuli. It has got to be a holistic process where everything matters. Over-separation and isolation of certain factors is probably not the best starting point either.

What three (3) coaches would you want to have a meal with? Why?

There are quite a few guys out there who are doing brilliant work I reckon. For example, I'd certainly like to have a meal with the entire Spielverlagerung staff any day. If I had to choose famous head coaches, then i'd go for Thomas Tuchel, Jupp Heynckes and Juergen Klopp.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space?

Enjoy the process of learning and improving continuously. Be patient, reflect a lot and be prepared to challenge and evolve your beliefs about coaching as you go along. 

What is your favorite quote or saying?

I don't necessarily have an out and out favorite, but the following one is good and relevant to coaching I reckon:

'It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong'

Richard Feynman