Who gave Lehmann a note before the penalty shootout in the 2006 World Cup final?

Koepke - goalkeeper coach, Germany

Before the penalty shootout between Germany and Afghanistan, Klinsmann turned to look at his goalkeeper coach Koepke and asked: "We Are you ready?" Kopke gave him a smile: "Don't worry, everything is fine." At this time, Klinsmann didn't know that Kopke was fully prepared for the penalty shootout. Lehmann will know the penalty-shooting habits of every penalty-shooting player in Argentina.

Before the penalty shootout, Kopkese gave Lehmann a note. This note was 9 centimeters wide and 10 centimeters long. It was a piece of paper from Gru. The raft at the Nervald Palace Hotel has a scratchy scratch written by Kopke on it with a pencil. Kopke wrote all the necessary tips on it according to the order of penalty kicks that the Argentine team has determined:

Cruise, stay put, lower right of the goal.

Ayala, low ball, lower left corner.

Maxi, blind spot on the right.

Cambiaso, wait, stay put, lower left corner.

The first is the player's name, the second is the characteristics of the player's free throws, and the third is the usual direction. Koepke said: "Time was too tight at the time, so I only wrote the player's last name. The angle written on the note was of course from the player's perspective." Lehmann stuffed the note inside his boot and made every save. Have to take a look before. This note did play a big role. The information in it can be said to be 100% correct. Lehmann chose the right direction for all four balls.

Crus was the first to take the penalty, and Lehmann pounced in the right direction, but Cruz’s ball speed was too fast and the angle he chose was on the upper side. It flew past Lehmann’s body and Lehmann Mann did not pounce, but his correct judgment has enhanced Lehmann's confidence. Ayala, who took the second penalty, was completely blocked by Lehmann. The path of the ball he took was exactly as Kopke predicted. There was no mystery to Lehmann. Facing Maxi, who took the third penalty, Lehmann's direction choice was also correct, but the angle of the ball was really tricky, which matched the judgment of "goal dead center", leaving Lehmann powerless. As for Cambiasso, not only was the angle predicted by Lehmann, but his strength was very small and the angle was not tricky enough, so he was easily taken down.

In the penalty shootout, only Koepke among the German coaching staff had the easiest time, because this note was previously a secret between Lehmann and Kopke, and Klinsmann and other members of the coaching staff were have no idea. Bierhoff joked: "I know the content of the note. It says: Jens, save two penalty kicks and we will win." A relieved Klinsmann also said: "If There will be a penalty kick when we play against Italy next Tuesday, so I will never be worried." Koepke gave Lehmann a temporary decision based on the order determined by the Argentine team on the sidelines. Tip, in fact Kopke also had a more detailed note, which contained the data of all Argentine players taking penalty kicks, but the writing of this note was different from the tip given to Lehmann:

Ayala, short approach, Riquelme in the lower right corner, diagonal approach, Maxi in the lower right corner, long approach, Cruz in the upper left corner, short approach, Cambiasso in the upper left corner, Long run-up, Solin on the right, short run-up, Tevez in the lower right corner, short run-up, the angle on the note in the middle is opposite to that given to Lehmann, both from the perspective of the kicker, which is Kopke Data during training. Although the German team did not conduct penalty kick training during public training, judging from the preparation of the data, Lehmann still received strict penalty kick saving training.

The details of the penalty shootout show the meticulous preparation of the German team. Lehmann considered the possibility of a penalty shootout before the game against Argentina. He called his mentor at Schalke, the Dutchman Stevens. Stevens is a very theoretical coach. He has a very detailed and private database that stores information on many players.

As an old friend, Stevens readily agreed to help. Although he did not come to Berlin himself, he gave the task to his son Michael. Michael had played football in Germany and was very fond of the German team. He said: " My father's database has a collection of 13,000 penalty kick videos. Lehmann called and asked for help, so I found the materials he needed. Michael also joked: "I wish Germany beat Argentina. If their opponent had been Holland, I think I probably wouldn't have helped Lehmann. "Michael brought the information to Berlin and handed it to Lehmann. This further enriched the German team's understanding of the Argentine team.

In response to this information, Lehmann and Kopke conducted a detailed analysis and recorded and analysis to understand the habits of Argentine players, and finally condensed it into these two notes. At noon on the day of the game, the two were sitting together and reviewing their "homework" again. At this time, Lehmann already had a strong premonition. This game is likely to be decided through a penalty shootout.

Of course, the detailed preparation of information cannot negate Lehmann’s personal ability. Koepke also said: “Information does not determine everything. , before Lehmann appeared on the stage, I told him that data is one thing, and more depends on feeling. Lehmann said after saving the penalty kick: "Having a close understanding of the enemy can give people confidence, which also brings the best feeling when saving the penalty kick." "As a German goalkeeper, you have to win the penalty shootout. There is nothing to be happy about." Everyone can celebrate, but I have to concentrate on preparing for the next game. ”