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Robert Almer reveals: Marcel Koller learned such hard lessons!
In “Legionär on air” Robert Almer talks about his time under Marcel Koller and the challenges of his injuries.
Robert Almer reveals: Marcel Koller learned such hard lessons!
In the latest episode of “Legionär on air”, Robert Almer, the former Austrian national soccer player, talks about interesting and sometimes challenging experiences from his playing days. The focus is particularly on Marcel Koller, who was team boss of the national team at the time. Almer remembers a critical situation in which Koller started him in goal against Sweden despite a torn hamstring, which shows the coach's willingness to fight for the team. crown reports that Almer also tells several anecdotes in the episode that bring his time in professional football to life.
The topic of injuries and their consequences are omnipresent in football. Almer himself experienced this firsthand. He suffered a torn cruciate ligament during a game with Austria Wien against AS Roma. In response to the serious injury, Marcel Koller expressed his sadness and wished his former protégé a speedy recovery. Almer is unlikely to be able to take part in the World Cup qualifier against Ireland on November 12th and will also miss the friendly against Slovakia in Vienna on November 15th as well as other important matches against Moldova and Finland next year. ORF Sports informed that Ramazan Özcan, the reservist at Bayer Leverkusen, is planned as a likely replacement for Almer.
The relevance of sport psychology in football
However, the challenges in football are not just limited to physical injuries. Another aspect that is becoming increasingly important is sports psychology. The work of sports psychologists is considered important in football, but there is often a lack of acceptance and trust. In professional football, it is often the case that sports psychologists are not employed full-time, which makes the systematic application of sports psychology strategies difficult. The sports psychologists explain that the work of sports psychologists often takes place in the background and does not receive the public attention it deserves.
An example of a club that is actively looking for sports psychological support is FC St. Pauli. Uwe Stöver, the club's sports director, has publicly communicated the search for a suitable sports psychologist. This came after it was discovered that there was a lack of expertise within the coaching staff to promote team cohesion and confidence. Acquiring suitable skilled workers is difficult because the market is not transparent. Stöver also emphasizes the high demands placed on the new sports psychologist in order to form a functioning team from individual players and to develop a specific mentality.
The fact that FC St. Pauli is making its search public shows that the club is using innovative ways to integrate sports psychology expertise. This approach could serve as a role model for other Bundesliga clubs who need to recognize that mental strength plays just as important a role in football as physical fitness. A comprehensive establishment of sports psychologists in the Bundesliga is still pending, but awareness of their importance is continually growing.