Virkus: “I want to bring new energy”

Following a media session on Monday afternoon, we rounded up what the Foals’ new sporting director Roland Virkus had to say about his first days, his ideas and the future.

Roland Virkus on…

…his first impressions as new sporting director: I’ve not been in the role long, so first of all my focus is on observing things, analysing them and drawing my conclusions. I want to support and help as much as possible. I don’t want to be a drain on energy, but rather bring new energy. I’ll also have to hold a lot of talks in order to see where there is room for improvement and where energy can be harnessed.

…his passion for working for Borussia: I was born in Mönchengladbach and have been a fan since I was little. For me, it was and is always a calling to work for Borussia, regardless of whether that’s as a youth coach or later as academy director. I never had the aspiration of working at the professional level. Even when Max Eberl resigned, I didn't think about being his successor, so I don’t have any problem with the fact that the club asked Steffen Korell first. When Steffen declined the opportunity, they asked me. I needed some time to think about it, to weigh up the opportunity and the risk. In the end, it appealed to me to come and help. The professional game was not originally a priority of mine. It’s crucial that we generate a spirit of optimism here.

…the implications of his new role: My family is incredibly important to me and of course I want to protect them too. My wife and my three children give me security, and when you come home after a bad day, you want to explode. Someone has to be there for you and that’s what my family does. After my official introduction, one of my sons came and showed me some of the negative things that had been written about me on social media. I told him that he has to learn now not to read things like that anymore. Unfortunately, we have to live with these things, even though I think it's bad, but we can't influence them.

…his values: I have clear values and I live by them. Honesty, openness, transparency and fairness are definitely among them. More than anything, I’m against injustice. I react with my emotions and might overstep the mark sometimes, but that's the way I am, and I want to stay true to that.

…the team around him: I trusted myself with this position because I am convinced that I can do a lot, but I can’t do everything. Therefore, I need good people by my side. We all know and trust each other, but we might still have some divisive discussions. At the end of the day, the quality of the work is decided by the collective team and not an individual. The club is well structured. If it weren’t, we would not have been able to cope with Max Eberl’s sudden departure.

…his goals with Borussia: In the short term, it’s about getting on top of our current situation so that we can get on with planning for the future. In the mid- to long term, we’re looking at how we can restructure the squad, to create new faces of the club and to bring in players who fit in to club’s development. That will take some time. We want to remain ambitious while at the same time staying realistic.

…his ideas and visions: Ten years ago, we took on a new journey together. I think that we’ve come away from that path a little. That has to do with how circumstances have developed that were unpredictable and that we had no influence over first and foremost, like the pandemic. Corona has hurt the club massively – there’s no pretending otherwise. We need to work our way back to where we were and I’m confident that we can do that.

…the “Borussia path”: I believe that the club is tremendously attractive, particular for young, ambitious footballers who are hungry for success and want to take the next step in their career. When we believe that we have developed them to a point where we are no longer able to keep hold of them, then we have to sell them and reinvest that money in the squad. There is no alternative path for Borussia.

…the importance of the fans: Qualifying for Europe has fuelled expectations in the past. The fans have been behind us for so long. It really gave us the energy to even secure European qualification in the first place. We need the fans in the future too. I’m convinced that we will be able to get them to believe in our journey.

…the significance of youth development: A number of young talents have made the step up to the first team in the past, players like Marc-André ter Stegen, Mo Dahoud, Tony Jantschke, Patrick Herrmann, Jordan Beyer and recently Conor Noß. Borussia’s approach will always be to promote that youth pillar. We have a lot of interesting youngsters in our academy. We simply have to put our faith in them and continue their development. We need to give them the chance, and we are ready to do that. However, it’s also clear that quality is always the deciding factor.

…communication between the youth setup and the first team: I talk a lot with the management at youth level. There will be a successor for my old position very soon so that we don’t end up with a vacuum so to speak. I think that we’re well equipped internally. Communication is incredibly important to me. We have a lot of good structures and can all learn from one another. I worked very well with Max Eberl over the last twelve years; there was always constructive criticism, and we always scrutinised each other’s work. That brought added value to the club.

…the difference between transfers at youth and professional level: Of course my actions as sporting director have different ramifications as they carry more importance. There is a lot more hanging on what I do now, but when you break it down, it’s only really the numbers that are different. The criteria you use to come to a decision are very similar.

…his playing career: I was something of a Stevie Lainer type in my playing days. I had to work hard for everything, but there is nothing wrong with that. When you’re not blessed with the most talent, you have to work harder. My mantra was always that determination and passion beats out competence. Competence is akin to talent at youth level. If you have a lot of talent, the other two factors are multipliers – they increase your chances of making it. Lots of youth players have immense talent, but they’re not prepared to put in the necessary work. Those players don’t increase their chances because they rely on their talent too much.

…his involvement in Marc-André ter Stegen’s development: I have a very good relationship with him these days, but when he was still very young, I really got on his nerves because I was always pointing out the elements he was missing. I recognised how much talent he had back then, so that’s why I never let up and kept on tormenting him. I was convinced that if he learnt certain things, then he could become an amazing goalkeeper. Marc took that on board and executed it. He isn’t a world-class goalkeeper because of me, but I played a part in his development, and I am proud of that.