Before the start of the season with Kobe: Podolski relies on German support from Engels

Kobe (SID) Football world champion Lukas Podolski is relying on support from Germany before the start of the season with the Japanese J-League club Vissel Kobe. Gert Engels, who also comes from the Rhineland, has been working there as an assistant coach since the beginning of the year. “The coaching is good, the Japanese are always a bit more reserved,” the 32-year-old offensive player told the SID, “if you want to progress, win titles as a club, you have to show other things. That’s what we’re trying to do this season, and I hope the device can help us." The first championship game of the new season is scheduled for the Podolski club at Sagan Tosu on Friday (12.00 noon CET). The ex-Cologne and Munich resident takes his hat off to Engels' involvement in Asia: "He's been here for a long time, it's good to bring the German mentality abroad." It's not easy "to be far away from home, he's been in Japan for 10 to 15 years," said "Prince Poldi", who also worked at FC Arsenal, Inter Milan and Galatasaray Istanbul. Engels was nominated by the German Football Ambassadors as a coach in 2018 in the social and sporting commitment category. "He looks relatively German, you can't change that much. When you see Gert, you know he comes from Germany," said Podolski, laughing about the 60-year-old, who was born in Düren. Podolski continued: "He only speaks to the coach in Japanese. He has a bit of German slang, but he only speaks to the coaching team in Japanese." Engels hopes that Podolski will give the Vissel team a lot of inspiration. "His word carries weight here. From the first day you could tell that he didn't just come here to play football. He wants to influence the club's structures, even off the pitch. He wants to ensure that the club develops further." , he said in the SID interview. Podolski's great international experience is the guarantee for this, says Engels: "He played for top clubs in Europe, became world champion, so you can definitely take one or two things with you."

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Before the start of the season with Kobe: Podolski relies on German support from Engels

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