Departures as liberation FCZ coach Hediger: "Now everyone prefers to come to the training campus again"
FCZ coach Dennis Hediger explains why the latest personnel departures are positive, what his relationship with ex-sporting director Milos Malenovic is like and what he thinks of Mirlind Kryeziu and Ricardo Rodriguez.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- FCZ coach Dennis Hediger sees the latest departures, such as those of Steven Zuber and Mariano Gómez, as an opportunity for the club.
- Without players in the squad who are willing to leave, the development of the remaining players will be encouraged. Hediger emphasizes that they want to have fewer "disruptive factors" internally.
- The 39-year-old also talks about his relationship with former sporting director Milos Malenovic.
FC Zurich closed the chapter on Milos Malenovic shortly before Christmas. After the turn of the year, leading player Steven Zuber said he wanted to "look elsewhere". The abrupt departure of the 34-year-old former international star, who coincidentally is advised by the former FCZ sports director, fitted in with the image the club has presented in the recent past.
"Steven has gone through a process in which it was clear to him that he wanted something else," said coach Dennis Hediger at the press conference ahead of Sunday's game against Servette(live on blue Sport at 2pm). When he received the information, Hediger decided not to change his mind. "Steven is very intelligent, reflective and has seen a lot in his career. If he comes to the conclusion and says that he wants to do something else because he can't identify with the current situation, I support that," says Hediger, adding: "Zuber has nevertheless left behind a lot of positive things."
Hediger wants to remain loyal to FCZ. The 39-year-old took over responsibility for the first team on an interim basis in October last year after Mitchell van der Gaag was suspended as head coach after just a few weeks. On the same day that Malenovic had to leave, Hediger was promoted from interim to head coach. His contract runs until summer 2027.
Distance taken from Malenovic
On the one hand, he is grateful to his former mentor Malenovic: "Milos had many important moments in my career - both as a player and as a coach. He helped me and gave me a lot of ideas, we had a good exchange."
On the other hand, he had to do and implement the process himself. "I can dedicate myself to this project here. A lot of good people are still here. That's why I didn't think for a second about whether I wanted to continue on this path," emphasizes Hediger, who came to FCZ from FC Basel two years ago thanks to Malenovic and previously worked in the youth academy.
What is the current state of the relationship? "It's quite normal for there to be an ice age at certain times during a separation. But I think we know the mechanisms of the business. We're also a bit experienced. We can both assess it very well," Hediger sums up.
Hediger is very satisfied with the preparation: "We have a very good energy in the team." The big highlight was the team event on the Schwägalp: "There was a lot of laughter, we got together and got out of the building," Hediger looks back.
Although Mariano Gómez, a second regular player alongside Zuber, has left the club - and Jahnoah Markelo is also on the verge of leaving - Hediger is not panicking. "I'm happy with the ones who are here. They're all good lads who are determined to give their all for FC Zurich."
Hediger continues: "For me, there is a very simple equation: 'Performance is potential minus disruptive factors'. It was important that we were able to reduce the disruptive factors on the one hand, while at the same time still having lads with a lot of potential. And that they can call on this potential so that we can shape the performance in a positive way." For him, it was therefore important to be able to transfer players who were willing to leave.
Hediger on Kryeziu and Rodriguez
The various departures also had positive effects. "The one or two players who are no longer here may have stood in the way of the development of certain players. Now they can live out their potential a little more. I think everyone now prefers to come back to the training campus."
The Bernese player, who experienced his heyday as a player in Thun, hopes to put the "better energy" into practice on the pitch. He calls for "focus on the essentials". "If you have noise or background noise, it's always somewhere in the back of your mind and you take it with you." However, it's not fair if the player doesn't perform and is judged on that, but you yourself are partly responsible for it, says Hediger.
The new working atmosphere has clearly rubbed off on him too. At the press conference, Hediger exudes a credible optimism that has not been perceptible at the club for a long time: "Perhaps I'm in a slightly different mood because you can now focus a little more on the nice, interpersonal issues. We've actually done everything in terms of structure and clarifying roles."
Alessandro Mangiarratti takes over the position of Technical Director. Together with temporary sports director Dino Lamberti, FCZ has signed full-back Chris Kablan, who once played with Hediger at Thun.
However, Mirlind Kryeziu - the long-time FCZ defender is still without a club - is "not the ideal short-term solution" for Hediger due to his lack of match practice. And national team star Ricardo Rodriguez, who started his career at FCZ, is a "nice thought", but there are many factors that have to be right.
