U19 coach von Ahlen: Ending season makes sense

Markus, you’ve been involved in competitive football for over 30 years as a player and a coach and you have certainly experienced a lot. What’s your assessment of the past three months?
These times are unique. I couldn’t imagine something like this ever happening. My son Luca and I went through a kidney transplant operation at the end of October when he received one of my kidneys. Since then, we’ve been in an at-risk group. For that reason, we’ve followed the development of the pandemic very closely. In retrospect, we’re all glad the right measures have been taken.

Last week, you returned to training in small groups after a two-month break under strict hygiene regulations. How did you find it?
I was really pleased to see the lads again and get back on the pitch with them again. I quickly felt the impetus to get back to training with full intensity and the usual procedures. At the same time, we’ve got strict hygiene regulations and we will adhere to them. That’s where we are at the moment. We want to achieve the best possible outcome taking account of all the regulations and measures. That’s our incentive.

You’re training without a specific target until further notice. This week, the DFB announced the cancellation of the youth leagues. What do you think of the decision?
For youth football, ending the season early makes sense in the current situation. The clear majority of the academies were in favour of that step in a DFB questionnaire. The players’ contracts run to 30 June and it doesn’t make sense to carry on beyond that date in terms of their development. The situation is clear now. And as far as the new season is concerned, we’ll have to wait and see what happens with the pandemic.

Ahead of the coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of fixtures at the beginning of March, the U19s were in very good form, picking up 13 out of 15 points. How much has the break hurt given those stats?
We ended last season with the U19 and U17 both doing brilliantly. We took that confidence into the new season. In part due to the unusually high workload through the Youth League, we got our just rewards over time for the subconscious feeling that everything would take care of itself. That led to us losing some of our confidence. At that young age, a phase like this can also contribute to a positive development. There has to be a way of getting out of this situation. And we’ve found it. The team developed significantly in the second half of the season and were very much on the right track up to the suspension of fixtures.

Another positive this season is the transition to the first team. How do you see the co-operation between head coach Peter Bosz and his players?
It’s a big plus that the first team at Bayer 04 represents the next step for the U19s. Of course, that makes the step-up very big on the one hand but, on the other, the lads quickly have the chance to gain experience with the pros and to show what they can do. Working with Peter Bosz and his coaching staff is great.

The most recent example is Florian Wirtz: After being 17 a short time ago, the youngster and soon made his first start at Bremen.
I spoke to him on the phone to ask him to keep his relaxed attitude. In football it’s about making the most of the moment. On the one hand, he has the ability, and on the other, the mental strength and character – it’s a good synthesis. And obviously, the readiness of Peter Bosz and the whole club to give young players a chance. It’s great to see that. We’ll see a lot of him.

Wirtz and Co. are back in action, the U19 and U17 players are training without knowing when the new season will begin. How do you manage that for a period of weeks or months?
First of all, we have to adhere to the coronavirus regulations. On top of that, we’ll have to ration the sessions. Otherwise, our incentive is to achieve the maximum from what’s possible.

Finally: Can you see anything positive coming out of the crisis in the long term?
Of course, sporting ambition says no at first (he laughs). At the moment, we don’t know how it will end for our society. I hope it all turns out well and everybody works together in Germany, Europe and across the world.

Profile:
Markus von Ahlen was born in Bergisch Gladbach on New Year’s Day in 1971. 18 years later, he moved up to the Bayer 04 first team from the U19s. The midfielder went on to play for VfL Bochum, SV Meppen, KFC Uerdingen and Alemannia Aachen. He made 148 second and 38 first division appearances up to retirement in 2002. His career as a coach began in the youth sections at Bayer 04 and Hamburg SV before his first job as head coach with the then third division Arminia Bielefeld in 2011. Via the Austrian club Kapfenberg and 1860 Munich, von Ahlen finally returned to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2016 to coach the U19s.