Germany's triumph at the 2023 European U17 Championship was fuelled in part by the virtual reality training experienced by their players. In exclusive interviews with Sky Sports, head coach Christian Wuck and head of intelligence Sebastian Koppers explain...
Comment and Analysis @ghostgoal
Wednesday 5 July 2023 16:22, UK
Germany’s win over France in the final of the European U17 Championship in Budapest this summer was their first at that tournament in 14 years. It was achieved, in part, as a result of their innovative approach to player development.
As a result of great teamwork throughout the federation, virtual reality has been integrated into Germany's training programme. A small group of players had been exposed to additional work with VR glasses to improve their awareness. Ten of that group were on the pitch as they became European champions.
It is a recognition of the importance of scanning — the head movements before receiving possession of the ball that give players vital information about their position on the field in relation to everyone else and the options that are available to them.
«Maybe it is the most important thing because the game is so much faster than 10 years ago,» Christian Wuck tells Sky Sports.
«Decision-making is very important and the players can only make good decisions if they know where everyone is. We want to develop players who embody the German mentality. Of course, this includes athletics. But people come to the stadium to enjoy technical, beautiful, fast football. So in addition to the mentality of wanting to win, this also includes intelligent players.
»Playing intelligently can save a tremendous amount of time in making the right decisions. Games can be won this way. It is as
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