advertisement

Bundesliga coaches find their voices without crowd noise

DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) - Call it the sound of silence. With the stands empty, players and coaches in Germany are changing how they communicate.

Coaches know opposing teams could listen in on tactical chatter, but they also need to motivate their team without fans to drive them forward.

Freiburg coach Christian Streich drew on years of experience from his old job with the club's under-19 team as his players earned a surprise 1-1 draw at title contender Leipzig on Saturday, the first day of the Bundesliga's empty-stadium restart.

'œI was remembering back to that. You can hear yourself the whole time there too,'ť he said. 'œIt could be that I was speaking more now because the players pick up on more of it."

Volume is no problem for Streich.

'œI don't have that quiet a voice either. You can hear it from 50 meters away,'ť he said.

Players on the field and head coaches aren't muffled by wearing masks, though substitutes and other staff have to wear them.

Freiburg scorer Manuel Gulde summed up the approach. 'œBe loud, push your teammates, give commands and get the energy going on the field,'ť he said in comments reported by German agency dpa. Leipzig defender Lukas Klostermann also said the team had tried to emphasize on-field communication.

Without fans, viewers at home have heard unexpected soundbites, whether it's a player appealing a decision or loudly cursing after a shot's blocked. Inside the stadium, dpa reported hearing referee Guido Winkmann saying, 'œI don't speak so much Spanish, only '~cerveza','ť after his comments to Cologne's Colombian forward Jhon Cordoba were apparently lost in translation.

The silence could be stripping teams of a home advantage, too. Only one home team, Borussia Dortmund, won any of the first eight games played.

Referees typically tend to punish away teams more harshly - perhaps because of pressure from the crowd - but on Saturday and Sunday slightly more fouls and yellow cards were awarded against home teams. However, the small sample makes it impossible to draw firm conclusions yet.

No crowd doesn't mean no conflict. The new rule change allowing teams to make five substitutions per game had broad support among clubs for giving players more rest in a packed schedule. Not everyone agreed how it should work in practice.

After a 2-2 home draw with Mainz on Sunday, Cologne's sporting managing director Horst Heldt claimed the visitors had broken a gentlemen's agreement between the clubs that they would only change up to two players at a time. When Mainz made a triple substitution late on, 'œit got emotional,'ť Heldt told broadcaster Sky.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Aaron of FSV Mainz 05 takes a corner kick during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Cologne and FSV Mainz 05 in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2020. The German Bundesliga is the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Lars Baron, Pool) The Associated Press
Freiburg's head coach Christian Streich gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, March 16, 2020. The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, Pool) The Associated Press
Freiburg coach Christian Streich wears a face mask as he arrives for the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2020. The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP) The Associated Press
Freiburg's Manuel Gulde, center, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal besides team mates Nils Petersen, rigfht, and Christian Guenter during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2020. The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP) The Associated Press
Dortmund's Erling Haaland kicks the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2020. The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.