Unblocking the mind: How Hoffenheim want to revolutionize German football, again
Hoffenheim wants to measure the brain and cognitive abilities to ensure that the brightest talent in Germany doesn't fall through the development cracks.
Whether it is the German national team or Bayern Munich, sometimes poor results can be unexplainable based on quality. Going back to the 2022 World Cup, we witnessed a German national team that couldn’t score goals despite being overly dominant and achieving a high xG.
That symptom is now also visible at Bayern. Despite having most of the possession, Bayern lost to Leverkusen and Lazio. Against Bochum (xG 1.7), Bayern had an xG of 3.3. That didn’t stop Bochum from winning the game 3-2.
“There is a lack of freedom,” Bayern Munich forward Thomas Müller said after his side’s 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. “Our game gets blocked in our head. When you compare that to Leverkusen, they play football and are looking for solutions. That’s what I am missing in our team. … We play the ball from A to B, from B to C – nobody has the freedom to play (zocken).”
It is important to note that Müller uses the German word ‘zocken’ in that final sentence. ‘Zocken’ means both to gamble and play. That’s important here for context. Because what Müller points out is that players don’t feel like that; they can take the necessary risks for creative play.
We have seen this play out before. It is a symptom that has plagued the German national team since before the 2018 World Cup. Some critics have argued that following the famous ‘ReBoot’ in the early 2000s, Germany’s overly scientific approach has produced too many midfield robots and too few creative attacking players.
A new approach by Hoffenheim, however, seems to counter the argument that there is too much science in German football. “We measure the brain,” Hoffenheim coordinator for innovation and science Adam Beavan tells Gegenpressing when asked how to ensure that the most gifted players don’t fall through the cracks when Bundesliga clubs sift through their talent.
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