Berti Vogts has been named special advisor to Klinsmann for the World Cup

Yes, Herzog is very likely the #2 (if not the co-#1) on the sidelines.

Heck, Herzog could be the #1 and Ramos could be #2, while JK is just a smiling/motivating/celebrating figurehead (who leans heavily/completely on his staff) -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

In that sense, Herzog is the actual #1 and Ramos is the #2 (as coaches on the sideline) while JK is just the face on which the cameras are focused.

imo, JK is certainly the team's/program's "manager" much more so than he is a "head coach."

 

Sure, Herzog could be seen/credited as the next "Low" -- but Herzog has the disadvantage of not "coaching" Germany at a WC they are hosting.

 

So, Ramos 2022!

(Or might it be Kreis?)

And fwiw, Klinsmann is "one of our own," via marriage. (And that would kinda make Vogts a reasonable or wacky father-in-law type figure.)

 

Klinsmann says Vogts has been added for scouting, and coming up with training programs.
That doesn't sound like anything of the above.

 

Obviously 'a lot' is going on here.

Either Marteen is not happy with Herzog slowly having moved into 2nd position, or with Vogts coming in, or Klinsmann was just not satisfied with Marteen's performance as an assistant.
Or maybe they've had a falling out over bringing in Green, and/or neglecting all the 'Hispanic talent' (Torres, Gomez, Orozco, etc.) and instead bringing in so may German players.

NB Michael Bradley didn't sound very unhappy with Marteen's degradation.

 

I hope he's there for the Germany game. Massive psych out for the German players to see him on the bench.

 

Yeh I bet they'll shit their beds the night before.

 

I don't get that JK is calculating. He sets a direction and makes decisions, then over time if these things arent working out, he changes them.

Over time it might show that Tab is weak tactically and Berti is not. Pretty soon, Berti is given more responsibility.

Compare this with someone like old woy for England. Very meticulous, very calculating and yet, you wont see anything other than a 4-4-2, restrained game plan, whereas with JK you might see 5 different formations, some rolling of the dice and some brutal mistakes.

Which begs the question, in an all-or-nothing match, which approach wins? Woy could never seem to win the big one, but man can he squeeze blood from a talentless rock, where JK could win the big one as a player and nearly nicked it off the Italians...something no German is able to do.

Meh, USA!

 

Ramos: I’ve been involved with the senior team since Jurgen took over in August of 2011. So I’ve been to most of their games and most of their camps. So I’m pretty familiar with how the team works. In terms of my role, now I’ve moved up to being – instead of observing and kind of helping from the outside, now I’ve moved up into a role in which I have to contribute a lot more as an assistant coach.

SI.com: Would you have attended the World Cup in your prior position?

Ramos: I was going to, but it was going to be in a scouting role.

SI.com: And now you’ll be on the sidelines?

Ramos: Correct. Now I’ll be on the sidelines. Instead of mostly just watching the games from the stands and watching all the other teams that we may play, my role now is specifically just only with our team.

SI.com: How involved will you be with tactics and strategy?

Ramos: Obviously the head coach always makes the final decision on everything, but he would always want to surround himself with people who can give him different opinions and different ideas and in the end, obviously he decides.

 

More question marks as a result of those quotes....

 

What's he gonna say?

"I took over Martin's duties. I set the cones out for drills, pump up the balls and make sure Wondo has an extra W sewed inside his jersey.

 

Were those Marteen's duties?

 

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/66/u...gg-how-klinsmann-put-together-his-us-coaching

 

As JK's mouthpiece I think Ramos is probably better. He's USMNT through and through.

 

http://www.bundesliga.de/de/liga/ne...usbildungskonzept--bundesliga-einzigartig.php

Berti gave an interview to bundesliga.de including some answers to his role at the WC
...
bundesliga.de: Not long ago it was announced that you will be special advisor to US coach Jürgen Klinsmann. What's behind all this?
Berti Vogts: (laughs)Much less than some people think.

And that would be?
First off: Jürgen Klinsmann does not need me to know the German team. He knows the current players better than I do. And let me tell you this: I hope Germany wins the cup. The current player generation deserves it. I think the Germany/USA game is going to be game friends vs friends. The US want to win this game, that is for sure. At the time the game takes place Germany will have 6 points.

With your help?
I can only tell you that Jogi Löw and Oliver Bierhoff called me and both disagreed. Some parts of the media unfortunately exaggerate my part massively.

So, what's behind it?
We are in contact for years now. I advised DFB to hire him as NT coach. The positive development he started was continued by Bundesliga and Jogi Löw. Since then German soccer is viewed in a totally different perespective. Concerning our recent cooperation at the USMNT: he asked me if I could help.

In which position in particular?
Im going to be scouting Portugal, Ghana and some other games. Part of this agreement is a close cooperation between Azerbaijan und the US. We play the US in a test game which is absolutely positive for Azerbaijan. We will send a U19 girls team to the US. Further some youth teams will be having their training camps in the US. Our cooperation takes place expecially at the youth training level.

bundesliga.de: Back to the WC in Brazil. A lot people expect it be a difficult tourney for European teams because of the climatic conditions. Do you agree with that?
Berti Vogts: If my research is correct then the weather in Rio and Sao Paulo is going to be cool when the semis take place. I also see so plenty of South American players playing in Europe, so they're practically Europeans as well. They are going to get the same problems. Decades ago this was different, but soccer has changed much in this point.

 

I wonder if Herzog also hopes Germany wins the cup.

 

By this is he saying Löw and Bierhoff objected to him taking the scouting role for the U.S.?

 

No. The interview isnt that clear here. It mixed two talking points up. I think it refers to the

1. US want to win... with your help? no!
and
2 Germany with 6 points after two games: Löw and Bierhoff doubt that. So they dont expect the game to be a friendly.

 

Man, we better win this one.

 

I like this subtle mind game JK started. he has started to take some of the sting out of him as manager while increasing the pressure. He has two very good talking points for his managers:

1. Germany will have 6 points by game 3. BOOM. He just made Germany not only the group leader, but a disappointment if they dont have 6 points. Very nicely played.

2. I hope Germany win the world cup. BOOM. He just took some pressure off his personal rivalry by personally hoping they win, but also increased the pressure by 'saying it out loud.' He's Macbethed them.

3. He takes some pressure off his own team by letting them know their opponent will have it sewed up and the only have to knick a point off a team already looking to the next match (germans dont play like this, but JK is putting it in their minds, which should make them loose.) And if Germany don't have 6 points, it will just prove how no team is invincible.

 

Agreed.

#1 is clear, Berti was not invited by Low to play a similar role, so why not? He can demur and say it is nothing all he wants....and the German media will continue to talk up this angle non-stop, before, during and after the first round. Made for TV (and Internet) plot lines galore, now co-starring Berti. What's not to like?

#2 and # 4 is also right on.

For #5, while Vogts has just re-upped with Azerbaijan for another cycle and seems committed to youth development there, in coaching you never know. So a potential full-time advisory gig with USMNT is not a bad soft landing hedge for him.

And as for #3, he never has to admit it does he - and the effect is the same. Even if Germany goes on to win the Cup, now credit is shared since overcoming USMNT has become just a bit trickier. As the overmatched USMNT players have a few psychological weapons to somewhat even things out. Preparing Germany better for later rounds, with both Klinsmann and Vogts publicly rooting for them as Sam highlights.