Gerhard Struber: Live and learn

The Red Bull motorway

Struber thinks that Red Bull Salzburg has changed since his time, with the franchise now under the purview of new head of global soccer Jurgen Klopp. However, when he was in post and working under Ralf Rangnick, he thought of the set-up as a “motorway”, with coaches working within their own lanes but travelling to the same destination.

“This starts with the under-12 team until the first team. This was a clear pathway. This was a clear approach: how we have to train, which mentality of players we want to enforce. The mentality has a really high value in the world of Red Bull, how we develop players.

“The normal approach is always with players [who] are very talented, they hear this every day, every day they hear how talented they are. But for us in the world of Red Bull, [it] was much more important how we give the big appreciation: the effort when players bring something on the table, and also the mentality for winners.”

And he says there is an important balance to strike between player development and winning results at youth level.

“I was a really big profiter from Red Bull. Without Red Bull, I would be never here in Bristol City, never I would have had the chance to coach in the MLS”

“When they come in the academy of under-16, under-18, under-19s, and we speak only about development and never about winning, then I think we go the wrong way.

“In the world of Red Bull, winning is a big topic and you have to win your games on Saturday, but at the same time, you have to have your principles, how we want to play, in your DNA and also of course in your coaching. And the players realised it. We can develop at the same time.”

That’s where Red Bull’s global network comes in handy, as coaches seek out the right pathway for individuals as they look to gain the right experience to develop them as players.

“The players make super steps and after one or two years in the farm team, they make the jump to other Bundesliga clubs in Austria or they go in the end - and this was the goal - to our first team,” he says.

“Of course we have to prepare them before that winning is important, otherwise they could go crazy, when you play with 19, 20[-year-olds] in the Bundesliga, and then you have to fight for a title, and before [that], you [have] never [spoken] about winning.”

Developing as a coach

The Red Bull group doesn’t just give players the chance to progress; it is a fine proving ground for coaches, and Struber is a great example. He was working in insurance when Rangnick gave him a role within the youth academy.

“I was a really big profiter from Red Bull. Without Red Bull, I would be never here in Bristol City, never I would have had the chance to coach in the MLS. So Red Bull support[ed] me in a really good way.”

He says that working with young players gave him the chance to try out some ideas and see what worked without the pressure and expectation of professional first-team football.

“You have a little bit of time; you realise and reflect yourself and your strength, but also your learning points.”

Getting feedback as a coach can sometimes be tough to take, but Struber says that it can be useful, and it was routine during his time at Red Bull. The sheer number of former colleagues such as Marco Rose and Thomas Letsch who have moved on to high-profile jobs after leaving Red Bull is, he says, evidence of that.

“We had a management that was really clear with us, so when you jump out of the principles, then you get the feedback.

“And really honest feedback was not always easy. To take that part, you have to be open-minded and I think sometimes it’s better you get a hard, critical feedback [than if something is said] behind your back.”

Honest feedback can feel hard-hitting, he admits, recalling a time when he received some critical notes on a session he ran with the Red Bull Salzburg under-15s.

“You have to be open-minded. I have of course much more experience [than] 10 years ago, but I feel I have to learn more and more”

“When you want to learn something, then the hits in the face, some are good,” he says wryly.

And there are plenty of ways for coaches to develop themselves. Struber benefited from an internship in Italy with Eusebio di Francesco at AS Roma and shadowing other coaches in Austria and Germany, seeing their different methods and approaches.

“This makes your profile bigger, you think a little bit more around the corner, and reflect [on] your own principles more and more.

“You realise the football is changing every year.”

And as football changes, the head coach has to recognise where their strengths lie, and bring in support if they need additional expertise.

“You have to be open-minded. I have of course much more experience [than] 10 years ago, but I feel I have to learn more and more. And I have to think and listen [to] other interesting coaches, other interesting managers, what they say and what could help me for the next step.”

He adds: “You need a clear understanding about yourself, where you have your strength and where you have your weakness. Bring staff members in: maybe they can help you with your weakness and you have a little bit more time for your strength.”

Having faith and creating team spirit

Having the courage of your convictions as a coach will give players confidence in you, Struber says. Players watch a coach closely and assess their sincerity, and the coach needs to bring the whole of their squad along on the journey with them. He gives the example of Barnsley playing the last nine games of the 2019-20 Championship season – following a three-month hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic - with their third-choice goalkeeper in the starting line-up. It could have been difficult had the player felt that the head coach saw him as a last resort, but Struber had built a good relationship with him in the months previously. With him in goal, Barnsley won four and drew three of their last nine matches and avoided relegation.

“I had always a good exchange with him,” recalls Struber. “Don’t forget the roster. Don’t forget the players. Maybe they are, in the here and now, a little bit far away from the starting 11. But it’s super important that you have [with] all the players a very honest exchange.”

And he also sees an educational element in his role as head coach, acting as a moderator and inviting players to discuss the match plan – not necessarily so they can amend it, but to feel connected to the playing principles and to test their understanding.

“The team spirit is one of the most important things – next to a good technical, tactical approach”

“I understand so much more when players speak and discuss about football topics on which level they are and maybe something maybe they don’t understand or maybe in some directions they are really confined,” he says. 

This openness creates a sense of togetherness, he thinks.

“A really good management around the team bring out the best around the team and grow together,” he says, and mentions an example from his childhood to illustrate the importance of a coaching staff having faith in their players.

“I can remember when I was a student, very young, and the teacher sent me in front of the table and he asked me about maths, and I think, ‘He has absolutely no trust.’”

Knowing that his teacher did not expect him to give the right answers meant that he was hyper-aware that he was about to say something wrong. The same applies to football, he says.

“When you have next to you someone who gives you trust, you are different on the field. This sounds maybe not magic, but that’s one of the biggest things. think. The players, also the staff, they have to feel the trust every day.

“When the players feel, ‘The coach trusts in me, he has a big belief in us’, then you can sell your principles much better. And when the principles are simple, then also the boys can take it and make something.

“The team spirit is one of the most important things – next to a good technical, tactical approach.”