Creative Writing Exercise #2

'MAN'-SCHAFT

(fictive dialogue based on two real interviews[i])

by Laura Lai/Uncategorized

Scene: A locker-room, T-shirs, sports shoes, etc. some time before the start of a match. In the middle of the locker-room there is a big table with different colorful fruits. The Mannschaft’s players and the trainer are having a discussion.

TRAINER (standing, serious). In the last game we saw two different half-times! In the first half-time it was not very easy for our team, and one could notice that we still lack some automatisms…

ILKAY GÜNDOGAN (interrupts). In the first half-time was each ball easily lost. Sometimes one must be more patient.

TRAINER (standing). Good point, Ilkay! In the second half-time we mastered most of the game, we created us many chances and played upfield. In which concerns the game mentality, this was a very good and very strong signal. On this issue I’m very content! We could have won!

LEON GORETZKA (nervous). This draw is too little! When you look at how many chances we had, we should have won the game! In the first half-time we lost the construction game while looking for spaces in their defensive line, but in the second half-time we found better the spaces between the lines.

TRAINER (makes a few steps and sits next to Leon). It was obvious that the automatisms against such a profound adversary do not function well, yet. We had some coordination problems. (he stands, speaks encouraging) In the second half-time we had a better speed, more chances, but at the end we lacked the consistency to finalize the whole construction with a goal. At this level this is sometimes a whole process whose improvement comes with experience. I’m very content with the mentality of the Mannschaft!

(Manuel Neuer stands up and picks up a big bunch of grapes from the table. 
He sits back. Leroy Sané sitting next to him wants some, too. 
They share the bunch of grapes. Some grapes roll on the floor.)

I wanted to give the younger players the chance to show us what they can do. I know what Reus (he points him), Toni Kroos (he points him) or Antonio Rüdiger (he points him) can, because they are part of the Mannschaft for quite some time. (Pause) I wanted a good insight about the playing behavior of the young and newly formed Mannschaft. Lukas Klostermann accomplished his tasks very, very well; and so was Marcel Halstenberg on the other side. I want to underline: I think that Klostermann did a very good game, had a very good speed, and was a very strong defensive player, too. I’m very happy about it. Such a beginning is extraordinary.

(Timo Werner sitting netxt to Klostermann start applauding. 
They all cheer Lukas and Marcel.)

MARCO REUS (disappointed): In general it was too little!

TRAINER. You mean the cheers, Marco?!

(Laughter)

MARCO REUS (smiling now): I mean the result, Jogi! We are Germany’s football team, for God’s sake! The motto should be to play better and to win! We had good goal chances that we did not transform in a goal. We need to play more near their defensive line and move more, then we’ll get to goal chances.

TRAINER (stands and makes a few steps, happy). In the last years we missed Marco as he could not join the Mannschaft. When we see his qualities and his professionalism, we know that we needed him in lots of previous games. His game is now more mature, he constantly asks for the ball regardless of his position and he constantly keeps his calm. This helps a lot the Mannschaft.

(They all cheer Marco.)

           Now that we all understood our strengths and weaknesses from the last game, you all know what you have to do for the next one. Good luck! (They all prepare to exit.) 

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[i]  Following the football match Germany vs. Serbia (1-1) on March 20^th, 2019 the Mannschaft’s trainer, Joachim Löw, gave two small interviews for the Deutcher Fussball-Bund (Löw: “Mit der Mentalität bin ich sehr zufrieden” and Löw: “Klostermann hat richtig gutgespielt”). For this creative writing exercise, I used almost ad literam the two interviews in a scene framework, in order to emphases the bound in the Mannschaft on vertical (trainer-player) and on horizontal (player-player). As the interviews were in German, so was my newly creatively written text. The last step of this exercise was to translate the document from German into English. If any of the protagonists feels offended by this creative writing exercise, I would like to apologize in advance.