10th matchday
Union continues to stumble: “We are in a relegation battle”
After their twelfth defeat in a row, Union is getting deeper and deeper into crisis. photo
© Andreas Gora/dpa
Union Berlin loses again, for the twelfth time in a row. Nevertheless, the coach and team are cheered. Coach Fischer makes it clear what it’s all about now.
This is how it looks Relegation battle in Köpenick. Even after the twelfth competitive defeat in a row and slipping into the relegation zone, the fans celebrated the players of 1. FC Union Berlin.
And to the astonishment of many observers, a coaching discussion that arose in public was defused before the 0:3 (0:2) against Eintracht Frankfurt. Coach Urs Fischer himself is not thinking about resigning either. “At the moment I don’t have that feeling. I’m ready to fight,” said the Swiss on ARD after the game.
His professionals supported Fischer. “He gives everything, he does everything, he tries everything. He talks to us a lot, is very direct, very clear. He just can’t do anything more,” said captain Christopher Trimmel. Robin Gosens saw it similarly at Sky: “We have to worry if the coach can no longer reach us. In my opinion, that’s not the case. I also believe that we have a debt to the coach.”
President Zingler supports Fischer
The management and those around them tried out the big symbolic solidarity before the game. President Dirk Zingler unmistakably supported Fischer in the stadium booklet. In the current situation, the club would be “poorly advised to send home one of the best coaches in the Bundesliga,” he said on Sky.
The fans also left no stone unturned: even before kick-off there were chants and lots of applause for the 57-year-old. After warming up, the team stood in front of the stands and was cheered on with “Let’s go Union, fight and win”.
Marmoush shocks Union early
But the sporting confidence didn’t last long. Omar Marmoush gave Frankfurt a comfortable early lead in front of 22,012 spectators (minute 2, 14). The Iron Men’s subsequent attempt was unsuccessful. Substitute Nacho Ferri decided the game (82′).
The visitors’ lead with their first shot on goal fit perfectly into the Berlin picture of the last few weeks. After a foul whistle against Robin Knoche, which was at least controversial, Union only inadequately defended the following free kick. Marmoush scored with a low shot from the turn – the Egyptian was successful in the third league game in a row.
The 24-year-old’s second goal, who, like against Dortmund last weekend, scored a brace, was a simple ball behind the Berlin defensive line. Hugo Larsson put it in the middle, where Marmoush slotted in unchallenged.
Pointless since the end of August
Union hasn’t scored a point since the end of August. Before the international break, more difficult tasks await the Iron Men with the premier class game at SSC Napoli on Wednesday and the game against the strong Leverkusen team next weekend.
While the relegation battle looms in Köpenick, Eintracht stayed in touch with the European Cup places. Dino Toppmöller’s team got ten points from the last four league games. “Of course we had a great start and then luck was on our side,” said Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller. But he was “extremely proud” of how the team accepted the hard-fought game. On Thursday, Eintracht will play the third of four away games in a row in the Conference League near Helsinki before traveling to Bremen on Sunday.
Union luckless on the offensive
Once again, the people of Köpenick could not be accused of a lack of effort. Frankfurt barely got out of their own half in the second half, but Berlin’s offense remained imprecise and even hapless. Köpenickers are increasingly finding it difficult to answer questions about the causes. “If I knew that. We try, we train, we do, we do. In the end, the current situation is that we are not good enough,” said Trimmel.
Fischer made it clear what this season is about: “We said that we are in a relegation battle. The relegation battle is also a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “Today I saw a team that is still running a marathon.”