Klinsmann won the World Cup as a player with West Germany in 1990, but his German teams were upset in the quarterfinals in 1994 (by Bulgaria) and in 1998 (by Croatia). He says he learned something in those surprise exits: World Cups can be less about the total overall talent on a team (though that certainly is necessary) than about the chemistry on your team and your tolerance for dealing with adversity.
“I went to three World Cups as a player, and we had by far the best team in ’94 at the World Cup in the U.S.,” he said. “But we screwed it up because of chemistry and private issues with the players … Then the whole tournament is over and you say, ‘S—, we are the only team here who can beat Brazil. And we would have beaten Brazil [the eventual champion] because we would have attacked them! Everybody else defended against Brazil.
“So here was a World Cup that we basically threw out the window. And then in ’98 it was a similar experience for me: There were chemistry issues. It’s a fascinating topic to go into because there are so many little pieces that need to kind of come along and work. England is a good example. They destroy themselves from the inside—and from the outside too with the tabloids and stuff like that. You need a special culture to approach it the right way.”
....he also thinks a good four-week training camp before the World Cup will be essential for taking that mentality to the next level....
“In a World Cup you have to improve every area of the game on the field, if it’s tactically, physically, the transition game, compactness defensively, spreading out right away attacking or movement off the ball, which we always discuss,” he said. “All those elements, those four weeks of preparation [at pre-World Cup camp] will be there for doing all that work. And also preparing them for the circumstances here. Hey guys, we’re going to travel extensively. Things won’t be perfect, if it’s hotels, tickets, family, whatever. Just be prepared for it. If something doesn’t work out the way it should, so be it. No problem. Forget about it and move on.”
In the end, Klinsmann is convinced the U.S. will draw a difficult group on Friday, and that doesn’t bother him.
