The Wagner way: Huddersfield boss David Wagner on English culture, Jurgen Klopp and promotion hopes
Sunday 16 October 2016 10:11, UK
David Wagner has enjoyed a successful first year as Huddersfield manager, and Sky Sports went to get a closer look at the German's style.
Huddersfield, who have been out of the top flight since 1972, are currently top of the Sky Bet Championship with 25 points from their first 11 games.
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Wagner took over from Chris Powell last November, and the 44-year-old delved into how he has changed things at the club with Sky Sports' Jonathan Oakes on the EFL Weekly Podcast.
Huddersfield host Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 11.30am.
Reflecting on a year
Top of the table after finishing 19th last season, the general feeling around the John Smith's Stadium is that Huddersfield are on the up under Wagner.
WAGNER: "It has been amazing to now, but we still have the feeling we are at the beginning of our journey. We have our idea, the club and the chairman have the ideas too, we did the first steps and everyone thinks we did the first steps in the right direction.
"Everyone is excited about the future, but for me the only future is the Sheffield Wednesday game on Sunday.
"The chairman asked me when I joined is it possible to give my club an identity? And this is what I worked on, on the pitch and off the pitch. I am happy and proud to be the manager of this club. I am happy they backed all of my ideas, and even if some of them sound crazy, and this is something you need if you are to create something."
The transfer market
Wagner brought in 13 players in the summer, with a mix of young talent and experience, while he also tapped into his knowledge of the German market.
Having been manager of Borussia Dortmund II, some would assume Wagner's knowledge of transfers was limited, but the business done in the summer has so far looked fruitful.
WAGNER: "I'd known in the winter window that we would make a lot of signings in the summer, so it wasn't a surprise for me that we made a lot of signings, or more than some expected.
"On one side we searched for quality, and the second thing was character, looking for players who played more at the top of the table than the bottom.
"We looked for players who got promoted in their careers, some leaders in their clubs too, so there are some small details in the signings as well. Now we can say for sure we found the right ones."
Potential promotion
Huddersfield have been outside of the top flight for nearly 45 years. Is this their year? They're up against sides who have spent 20 times their transfer budget, but Wagner insists he is focused on Huddersfield and Huddersfield only.
WAGNER: "To be fair, we are focused on ourselves, we are not influenced by what the other clubs are doing, we have no idea if they're doing the right things or not, we're totally focused on ourselves, and we have to work on our circumstance, and our circumstance has improved, on and off the pitch. The club did some good steps in the right direction.
"I think we have to be realistic, we have to be humble, but as well we must have ambitions. You have to know where you've come from and where you are, but also ambitious.
"We try to be a competitor in every game, we have to be focused on ourselves, and make the small details in the game right. In the past the players have been excellent."
Jurgen Klopp comparisons
Last November, Wagner pledged to bring the same football philosophy he shares with Jurgen Klopp to Huddersfield, having worked under the Liverpool manager at Borussia Dortmund.
While he insists his ideas on how the game should be played are "100 per cent" similar to Klopp's, he cannot draw comparisons in every sense.
WAGNER: "We have the same idea, on how this game should look like. This is what I can say. And this is 100 per cent the same. Everybody knows we worked together in Dortmund, and known each other for 25 years, but that's it.
"We love exactly the same style of football, and this is why some say the Liverpool style and Huddersfield style look similar, in parts of the game, but on different levels!
"To be fair I don't think [people will stop asking] because he is one of the best, maybe the best, managers in Europe. I totally understand the questions, but to me he is only a friend.
"I'm not sick about it, but on the other side he is only a friend."
English cultures and habits
Klopp himself is known for an intense training and playing style, but how have the Huddersfield players reacted to Wagner's own routines, and what does he think of the culture in English football?
WAGNER: "I think it was something new for some of the players when I got appointed, but now it's usual. Everybody knows the schedule, and sometimes I think I have to apologise for what we are doing!
"For me, for us in Germany, it's usual. It was more or less a surprise for me that it was unusual in England! But how they've adapted and how they've performed has shown us we're on the right track.
"I think the biggest difference [between English and German football] is the intensity, but not because they are fitter than sides in Germany, but because the referee doesn't blow his whistle as much as in Germany. There aren't as many breaks in the game as in Germany. This means high intensity football, and for this you have to be prepared, and there are different things in the routine and culture.
"In Germany you have the press conference with both managers, in England you invite the opponent manager into your office after the game, and this is part of the culture I really like. I also like the mentality of English players. It is rough, tough, and they are not moaning and crying after a challenge. I like this style of football."
