Murat Ural has been assistant coach at VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga since July 2024. The native of Ticino, who grew up in Winterthur, talks to blue Sport about Bochum's sensational turnaround in Munich, Dieter Hecking, the Ruhr region, his time at FCZ and law.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A year ago Murat Ural was still a coach at FCZ, now the Winterthur native is assistant coach to Dieter Hecking at VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga.
- He tells blue Sport about the crazy victory against Bayern after trailing 2-0, the enthusiasm in the Ruhr region, FCZ and his head coach ambitions.
VfL turned a 2-0 deficit at Bayern Munich into a 3-2 win last week. How did you experience the historic victory?
Ural: It didn't look too good for us after going 2-0 down. But we seized the opportunities that came our way. The way the team never lost faith and fought back passionately was magnificent. It was a historic evening: VfL Bochum hadn't won in Munich for almost 34 years. For me personally, it was another absolute highlight in the Bundesliga after the win against Dortmund.
VfL was almost hopelessly behind in the winter. Now, it can manage to stay in the league on its own. What do you attribute the upswing to?
The points haul from the last 12 games is pleasing: 18. We are now increasingly managing to turn the games to our side. The players have always given their all since day one, even if their efforts have not always been rewarded. But there is no giving up at this club. Keep going, keep going, is the motto in Bochum. The coach has created a new stability with his immense experience in the Bundesliga. We are conceding far fewer goals, which is certainly an important factor in our current positive development. However, it is important that we continue to work hard until we have achieved relegation.
How do you experience the Bundesliga? Is it more fun or more pressure?
I really look forward to every single day. Working with the coaching team and staff and with the players is a lot of fun. We work hand in hand and really appreciate and respect each other. It's understandable that the media presence is different than in Switzerland. It's not for nothing that the Bundesliga has been considered one of the strongest leagues in Europe in terms of sport and finances for years. It is also obvious that the pressure can be immense. In my opinion, as is so often the case in life, it is important to find a personal balance. Resting on your laurels for too long is just as unpromising as constantly putting yourself under pressure.
Your boss is the experienced coach Dieter Hecking: what kind of guy is he? What is the secret of his success?
As I said, the coach has immense experience in the Bundesliga. With over 430 games under his belt, he is now one of the ten coaches with the most Bundesliga appearances. He shares his wealth of experience with us. On the one hand, he always has an open ear, and on the other, he involves the coaching team in all processes and asks for our opinions. I really appreciate that. We laugh a lot together and occasionally watch other games together in the stadium.
How can you complement him?
You would have to ask the coach this question.
Murat Ural
- Born in Ticino, he started playing football at a young age. He quickly developed into a talent in FC Winterthur's youth academy and made his debut in the first team at the age of 16. He also played for the Swiss national youth teams (up to U-21). During his active time as a professional footballer, he graduated from the art and sports high school in Zurich and studied law. He then worked in commercial law firms in Zurich and specialized in international sports law. At the same time, he was involved with the FC Winterthur youth team, most recently as head coach of the U21 team. At the same time, he completed his Uefa Pro license. Murat Ural speaks five languages fluently (German, English, French, Turkish and Italian) and lives in Bochum and Winterthur.
What are your tasks in the coaching team?
The coach involves me in all areas. Together with him and Marc Kruska, I plan and carry out the training sessions. We also draw up the match plan, talk to the players, discuss the performance of the individual players and share our ideas for the line-up and squad composition. The exchange is close and trusting.
Bochum is pure passion: how do you experience the fans and the environment?
Anyone who has ever been to a VfL Bochum home game at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion will understand what the club means to the people here. Although the stadium is one of the smaller ones in the Bundesliga with 26,000 spectators, the support in the stands is breathtakingly loud. When you go from 0:3 to 3:3 against Leipzig within a short space of time, there's no stopping you. The fans and the crowd are terrific. They are behind us, no ifs, ands or buts. Being able to experience these emotions - as part of a big whole - motivates me every day.
A year ago, you were still working at FCZ: how do you look back on that time?
At FC Zurich, I was able to make the leap from youth coach to professional coach, play an active part in a motivated coaching team from day one and even gain experience as a head coach. Under the leadership of Bo Henriksen, we first managed to stay in the league and in the following season we temporarily took the lead in the table. After Henriksen's departure, there was a lot of upheaval and a lack of stability. Nevertheless, we still managed to reach the Championship Group. We never lost contact with the Chairman and his wife and with many employees. This shows that the bond was tangible and genuine. I wish the club all the best.
When will we see you back as head coach?
The coaching profession at the highest level is demanding and complex. For me personally, it was important to learn the trade from the ground up. A coaching diploma is one thing, practical experience at different levels and positions is another. Along the way, I have worked with interesting and experienced coaches such as Bo Henriksen, Peter Zeidler and Dieter Hecking. I have learned a lot in the process. I think that after ten years of coaching experience, my rucksack is now well filled. We'll see what the future holds for me. In any case, I'm looking forward to my future path.
You are also a lawyer: does that give you the security of knowing that you always have a backup?
I've never seen law simply as an alternative. Analytical thinking and critical questioning are very important to me and perhaps also help me as a coach to take a sober view of certain situations. At the same time, football is often about emotions and intuition. This range of approaches fascinates me.
You grew up in Winterthur and worked as a youth coach at FCW for many years: Are you currently suffering a little with your former club?
As a Winterthur native, I naturally follow my home club and hope that they will get their act together and manage to stay in the league.
