When Julia Simic picked up her phone and saw the name Johan Djourou appear a few months ago, she was far from imagining that her trajectory would change so quickly. “I must say that everything happened quite quickly,” smiles the new Swiss assistant coach. He called me to get news. We met during one or two UEFA events around the Euro in your country last year. Then he asked me what my situation was…”.
At that time, the former German international was still under contract at Eintracht. She coached the under-20s there, after having held different roles in recent years with Frankfurt and the German youth teams, up to experience as head coach for six months. “There was a lot of joy when Johan asked me the question and showed interest. It’s an opportunity that you don’t get that often in a career.”
The former German international, who notably played for Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, West Ham and AC Milan during her professional activity, then asked her club if it was possible to terminate her contract early. “I wanted to dedicate myself to this task which I found very interesting and which I still find interesting,” she explained Thursday in Lausanne, after only a few days under her new flag. Because the Swiss Football Association and Frankfurt quickly reached an agreement and she officially began her new mission on January 1.
If the call from the Swiss sports coordinator hit the mark, it is also because Switzerland is no stranger to him. “I think I have always had a special relationship with this country and with its national team, because I know a lot of players.” For example, she played and shared an apartment in Germany with Ramona Bachmann before trying the adventure in London. There, she found Bachmann and saw a young Alisha Lehmann arrive. “She was still very young,” Julia Simic remembered. I took care of her a little, also in terms of language. I attended some coaches meetings to translate for him.”
Roommate with Ramona Bachmann
She also rubbed shoulders with Lia Wälti and Noelle Maritz. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an argument with a Swiss,” laughed the new assistant to new coach Rafel Navarro. “On the contrary, I have always gotten along very well with them. And, of course, that also helps in my role today.” Going from teammate to assistant coach might seem tricky. She brushed aside this idea, bordering on absurd for her. “I have already been asked this question several times. I don’t find it complicated. I consider myself a service provider for players. I’m here to help, whether it’s Rafel or the girls.”
Before accepting, she spoke at length with the head coach, influenced by the Barcelona playing school. “I think there is a lot of work and a very good tactical idea behind it. I can learn a lot, also for my coaching career, but also lay a foundation here to build a good future for myself. We’ve talked on the phone a lot over the past few weeks, sometimes almost every day. I supervised matches in Germany. At the end of the day, he’s the one who makes the decision, but together, we always become a little smarter than alone.”
Julia Simic pays particular attention to young people, having worked for four and a half years in the junior sector. “Above all, I tried to intensively observe the young players, to discover their talents,” she explained. At the start of the week, the ASF had organized a mini-gathering in Lausanne under the leadership of the “Next Gen” program, calling on junior internationals so that they could immerse themselves in the demands of the high level.
“It’s exciting to work with these talents from 16 to 20 years old, to support them in the final stages towards professionalism,” explained the woman who would undoubtedly have been much richer at the twilight of her playing career if she had been born a few years later. She sees in Switzerland “an immense opportunity. A small country, but which brings out a lot of talent, almost disproportionately for its size. We have to become a team that we don’t really like to play against. Not just beautiful to see, but also intense.”
Because Julia Simic is much more than an assistant coach. A graduate in sports sciences, she conducted research on cruciate ligament rehabilitation and established herself as a TV consultant, particularly in the Bundesliga. “I am often asked if I am a trainer or a TV expert. The mix is what makes it so interesting.” Because being a woman on the boards of men’s football remains rare. “As a consultant in the men’s ball game, we remain an exception. I fight for normalcy. The more we see it, the more accepted it will become. In the end, there’s no point in complaining. We need to act and approach this in a positive way.”
This double cap nourishes his look. “Being able to chat every weekend with Bundesliga coaches brings me a lot. And conversely, my work in the field helps me analyze more closely.” In the short term, his Swiss objective is clear: build a competitive team and aim for major tournaments. “Qualifying for Brazil would be a dream for everyone and for me too. But the qualification method is incredibly complicated. A lot of things have to come together for it to do that. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe we could play another big tournament with this team. From my point of view, Switzerland has no limits.”
Robin Carrel (rca) is a journalist in the Sports section at 20 minutes, where he has worked since 2011. His favorite sports are football and cycling, but he especially favors the field of discovery.
