Bayern's Miroslav Klose: 'The Quiet One' emerges

One of the last out-and-out strikers, Miroslav Klose's movement and timing was always impressive. Even in retirement, the 41-year-old has proven he knows when to make his move and the value of being in the right place at the right time.

Klose has moved into the first-team staff at Bayern Munich, leaving his spot at the club as U17 head coach behind to join up with head coach Hansi Flick. It is just the latest of smart moves in a career plan that looks destined for the top.

Joining Flick makes a lot of sense. The pair have a strong relationship built on time working together in 2014 when Germany won the World Cup in Brazil. Since then, the pair have recognized the trust, loyalty and excellent social skills present in one another.

Many will be quick to suggest that his glittering playing career, one that included 71 international goals, 137 caps and a World Cup victory, is the reason for his rise in the coaching world. And yet, closer inspection reveals just how hard Klose has worked to earn his stripes.

No shortcuts

After retiring in 2016, Klose was a Bayern ambassador before joining Germany's coaching staff for the 2018 World Cup in Russia as a coach for the strikers. While the tournament ended with a disastrous early exit for Germany, Klose learned a lot about tactical finesse and for team cohesion. While he may not admit it publicly, that campaign likely delivered plenty of insights into the current state of the German national team and the coaching staff.

After the World Cup, Klose became Bayern's U17 head coach and in that first season he won the region's youth league before losing to Cologne in the national semifinals. His team were five points off the top this season when the coronavirus brought football to a halt.

Such is the level of professionalism in the youth game in Germany, and in turn the level of respect it demands, that Klose's work did not go unnoticed. Neither did Klose's choice to work his way up.

Former Bayern Munich assistant coach Peter Hermann recently told Sport 1 that he thought Klose's decision as a former player to go and learn the coaching profession in youth football was of great value. And in January of this year, Klose revealed the true extent of his internal desire to "do it the right way" to German national daily Die Welt:

"If I wanted to progress, then all I'd have to do, and sorry if this sounds stupid but, is click my fingers. That's not on at all. Just because you were a pro doesn't mean you're also a first-team coach. It's like a new job, with a totally different perspective. I would never suggest I was the superstar that could do everything."

That being said, Klose doesn't lack belief in his plan. Last summer was perhaps the first time it became clear that Klose hadn't lost his timing.

In Germany, many U19 head coaches have moved into first-team head coaching jobs because of their results. When Bayern offered Klose the job, Klose stated he wasn't ready. Maybe he wasn't, or maybe he was just waiting for the right time to make his move. Fast forward to May 2020 and Klose has not only secured a chance to work with the first-team but he has done so off the back of a more continuous coaching career at youth level.

Attention to detail

Klose's life plays a role in his ability to coach. Born in Poland, Klose moved to France, then back to Poland and then came to Germany aged eight-and-a-half. His parents told him to learn a trade because football was no guarantee and so Klose took up carpentry. He played in the lower leagues before making his Bundesliga debut aged 22. In short, he has traveled, learned a profession that is all about accuracy and plans, then experienced a career in professional football that is hugely uncommon in the modern era.

It can be no surprise then that Klose is reportedly meticulous when it comes to the details, or that he wants youth players to be more honest about their abilities and youth coaches to recognize the value of their work rather than always striving for a first-team job.

In June, he will be one of 25 on Germany's highest coaching qualification course: the Fußball-Lehrer (the country's equivalent to the UEFA Pro Licence). While the course may demand time away in order to fulfill requirements of the qualification, Klose's next year might be the one where he takes the biggest jump.

He will be on one of the best coaching courses in the world, a member of a strong coaching staff that includes the highly-touted Danny Röhl, and work with players that he knows.

'The Quiet One'

Klose spent his career scoring goals and being championed as a great teammate, but he was also famous for being one of the quieter characters in the changing room.

Jürgen Klopp has long been held up as Germany's finest coach. For many, his passionate, amusing and charismatic style of coaching is seen as the blueprint for the modern coach. While his manner is engaging and hard not to get caught up in, Klose's arrival in the coaching world is a timely reminder that there isn't just one way to be a successful coach.

Klose's manner is evidently quieter, more guarded. Klose's first steps in the coaching world suggest that if Klopp is 'The Normal One', Klose might not be far away from becoming 'The Quiet One'.