Regional League Coach at Just 26 – Spized Talks with Successful Coach Samuel Horozovic

Football fans were stunned when TSV Schott Mainz, then a Regionalliga team, appointed 26-year-old Samuel Horozovic as head coach for the second half of the season. With this move, the Mainz club made their former A-Junior coach the youngest head coach in Germany’s top four leagues at the time. What is the secret to this A-license holder’s success, and how has his coaching career unfolded at Schott Mainz? We spoke with the head coach of the Rheinhessen team.

Spized: How did you become a coach?

Samuel: To explain it chronologically, I started playing football at the club when I was 3.5 years old and went through every youth team up to the U19. When I was playing in the U15, my younger brother was in the F-youth, and they were looking for a coach (Editor’s note: Sean Horozovic now plays in the A-youth of Mainz 05 and is a U18 national player for the DFB). At that time, I had no ambitions to become a coach, but I decided to give it a try. After the first training session, I was hooked, and I ended up coaching the team for four years.

Spized: How did your journey continue at Schott Mainz?

Samuel: After that, I coached the U13, specifically the 2005 age group. Then I became an assistant coach for the U17 team. Following that, I spent a year shadowing our first team under the then-head coach Sascha Meeth (now the sporting director for the senior teams, editor’s note). After the shadowing experience, I took over the U17 as head coach, and later I was responsible for guiding them into the U19.

Spized: And then Schott Mainz made you the youngest Regionalliga coach at the time?

Samuel: Yes, in the middle of the season, I was pulled from the A-Juniors training. It was quite spectacular because I had been in Maribor the day before for my brother’s first Youth League match. Then I was asked if I wanted to take over the first team. Of course, I didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately said yes. Getting the chance to coach in the Regionalliga at 26 is something special.

Spized: You’ve been able to actively shape the club in various roles, including as youth leader.

Samuel: Yes, and I still hold that position. I was first the youth coordinator for the basics section and later for the development section. Then I was asked if I’d like to be the youth leader, and I gratefully accepted. I’m still in that role, which creates a strong link between the youth and senior sections. My assistant coach is the coordinator for the U17 and U19 teams, which further strengthens this connection. This constant exchange is always maintained.

Spized: Is this approach unique to your club?

Samuel: I’ve never been at another club (laughs). But I’ve noticed that our approach is not commonly found elsewhere.

Spized: Traditionally, coaching positions have often been filled by successful former players. Stereotypes like Carlo Ancelotti or Xabi Alonso still exist – but with coaches like Thomas Tuchel or Julian Nagelsmann, the coaching profile has evolved. At just 26, you break this stereotype. Why do you think more young coaches, who haven’t played in the top leagues, are being trusted?

Samuel: In my case, I don’t even have a major injury that could’ve stopped me from playing football. That’s often a reason why young, talented players transition to coaching early. For me, it became clear quickly that my footballing future was in coaching. I believe that club leadership needs to make bold decisions. It’s also about the club’s philosophy – if a club wants to focus on youth, it’s important to develop not just the players but also the coaches.

Spized: Does this philosophy reflect in the first team’s roster?

Samuel: Integrating U19 players into the first team is a path we all want to take. Next season, we’ll promote seven players from the A-Juniors, who just won the championship and are moving up to the youth league. That’s practically a third of the new first team. We are committed to developing our junior players.

Spized: Is that also a question of identity?

Samuel: Absolutely. The players need to be passionate and wear our logo with pride. We need as many of those players as possible. We are very proud to promote these players, but it’s also based on their quality, not just for external perception. Even with relegation to the Oberliga, we still have high ambitions. Next season, we’ll be playing in the first round of the DFB-Pokal for the third time in a row (against Greuther Fürth, editor’s note). No other amateur club in Rhineland-Palatinate has achieved that.

Spized: How do you gain insights into other clubs’ work?

Samuel: In January, I did an internship with FC Bayern Munich’s A- and B-Juniors. I also spent some time observing at Mainz 05. I find internships very interesting for gaining insights.

Spized: What weaknesses did you observe?

Samuel: Definitely organization. At Bayern, I thought they would be top-notch in terms of organization. But before training, no one knew where they would be playing. The most common question from players was, "Where am I training today?" (laughs). We only have three fields compared to Bayern’s six. But I expected everything to run smoothly there. In terms of sports, they are, of course, outstanding. At Schott Mainz, we can be very proud of our staff.

Spized: Organization is a crucial aspect. Is it a key competency in a coach’s daily routine?

Samuel: Yes, definitely. Organization affects many areas of coaching. You have to organize and structure your training sessions. The higher you play, the bigger the staff gets. In the U19, I had nine people around me – two assistant coaches, two athletic trainers, a goalkeeping coach, a team manager, and a sporting director. In the first team, we have 15 people. So, delegation is also important. As a coach, you have to be able to delegate tasks.

Spized: Has coaching become a management role?

Samuel: Yes, at least when it comes to ambitious performance areas in youth or senior teams. Structuring everything and not forgetting anyone is important. In England, coaches are rightly called managers. In professional leagues, the assistant coaches usually run the training because the head coach is busy with meetings or other commitments.

Spized: How important are conversations with players? Has this changed over the years?

Samuel: In performance areas (starting from U16, editor’s note), only the players are invited to conversations because it’s also about personal development. In today’s world, I consider personal conversations very important. My players must avoid WhatsApp communication. Of course, there are always attempts to reach me via WhatsApp because it’s the easy way, but I don’t respond to that. Every feedback needs to be discussed in person.

Spized: How do you find the time for this?

Samuel: I rely heavily on small talk. You don’t always have to sit down for 15 minutes. Short conversations after training or during breaks can achieve a lot. It’s important not to take everything too seriously and to approach things with humor. In breaks, it’s okay to throw in a funny comment because training should be fun. Not communicating is also a form of communication. I do that deliberately so that the player realizes they need to think about something.

Spized: Has the relationship between players and coaches become closer?

Samuel: Absolutely. Coaches are much closer to players than before. The distance between coach and team is a thing of the past. I believe that players should be involved – but ultimately, the coaches make the final decisions. However, players can have a say in some topics.

Spized: Have you had positive or negative experiences as a player in this regard?

Samuel: When I was a player, it felt like the coach was standing on the sideline with a joystick, directing you to play where they wanted. In the A-Juniors, I once kicked a ball out of frustration because both coaches were constantly shouting commands during a practice game. I told them, "Guys, can’t you just be quiet and let us play?" That was a significant experience for me to become a better coach or at least to do things differently as a coach. Unfortunately, I didn’t have many good coaches as a player.

Spized: We’ve talked about several coaching competencies, but not yet about subject matter expertise. How crucial is a coach’s technical knowledge concerning the team’s playing style?

Samuel: From my perspective, it’s important always to play attractive football. Especially in the youth teams, success isn’t always the primary goal. Every spectator should be excited about the playing style. I always want to play out from the back. The word "play" is an indicator for me of "play and go" and a willingness to dribble, meaning taking risks. Of course, defending is part of it. That’s why we always talk about offensive and defensive principles at the club. Every player knows what to do, but they still have complete freedom, and not everything is dictated by the coaches.

Spized: What is essential for you regarding offensive and defensive principles?

Samuel: The playing principles are entirely independent of the chosen system. In the first half of the Regionalliga season, we particularly adapted to the opponent when defending. To some extent, also with the ball. We decided as a principle to play block defense. This corresponds to a defensive midfield pressing. Situationally, we would press high and mirror the opponent, meaning man-to-man pressing. This mix helped us go seven games unbeaten in a row.

Spized: Are the DFB coaching licenses good for professional development?

Samuel: I have to smile a bit at that. I believe internships are more valuable than licenses. The license gives you a good foundation but doesn’t necessarily make you a better coach long-term because other skills also play a role. However, it’s good that amateur clubs receive better compensation for players who move to academies. The money can be invested in coaching qualifications.

Spized: What were your experiences with the licensing courses?

Samuel: I was lucky with the licenses. I obtained the B-license early. It was challenging to get the A-license directly because you need a point average. The examiners prefer young coaches to gain practical experience first. In my case, it was different, and I could achieve the required points for both the B-license and the former Youth Elite License.

Spized: The licenses offer coaches a foundation, but in your view, they lack practical elements. Why do you think that is?

Samuel: My last license course was a while ago. At that time, the input wasn’t anything new for me. I had expected more. The exchange among the coaches was very valuable to me. Of course, the demands and required knowledge increase with higher licenses – but that’s why you reach the required point average. This point average, in my opinion, doesn’t reflect the quality of the coach because you might have a topic that isn’t your strength. Then you get an average of 8 points and can’t progress to the next license. Maybe you’re strong in the offensive area but get a defensive topic that isn’t your forte.

Spized: How important are the content provided by the associations, considering there isn’t only performance-oriented football?

Samuel: It’s important in the C- or B-license, especially if you don’t have much coaching experience. I think it’s good that the groups in the licenses are smaller because more targeted content can be delivered. It’s a shame that the recent price increases make it harder for every coach to receive support.

Spized: In your opinion, internships are more valuable than licenses in terms of content. What’s important in internships?

Samuel: Experiencing different age groups and clubs. Personally, I’m open to any intern because I’m interested in an outsider’s perspective. We had a coach from Bayreuth here for a week, and I find it interesting to talk and exchange ideas with such interested individuals. I’m curious about how the outsider perceives my training and communication. It doesn’t matter what level or age group the intern coaches. I reflect a lot on myself; otherwise, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Spized: How do you approach self-reflection?

Samuel: As a coach, you shouldn’t just conduct training and check it off. Reflecting on yourself and thinking about what can be improved is important. The same goes for speeches.

Spized: How do you improve your speeches?

Samuel: After every speech, I reflect on what was good and bad. I’ve recorded myself during speeches and reviewed it with an expert not involved with the team. He’s a former goalkeeper who’s focused a lot on rhetoric. Getting an expert’s opinion is always helpful. If you don’t develop and initiate something new, it’s difficult to maintain attention during speeches. That’s why it’s important to keep speeches short and constantly introduce something new. Using images and videos or adding something humorous are a few examples. Eventually, the players might tune out your voice, so it’s about conveying why this game is special each week in a concise way, within a maximum of 10 minutes.

Spized: What are the three main qualities a coach needs to be successful today?

Samuel: 

1) Self-reflection
2) Leadership and social skills
3) Technical expertise

Spized: Samuel, thank you for your time. We wish you and your team much success and hope you advance in the DFB-Pokal. Maybe 1. FC Köln will visit in the second round…

Samuel: Thank you. If that happens, you’re, of course, welcome to join (laughs).