Bundesliga
SC Freiburg confirms Schuster as Streich’s successor
Julian Schuster (l) will be Freiburg’s head coach Christian Streich’s successor from the summer. photo
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
The Bundesliga can look forward to a new coaching face: ex-professional Julian Schuster will be the successor to Christian Streich at SC Freiburg.
After the Christian Streich era, SC Freiburg is relying on the former professional Julian Schuster as the new head coach.
The Baden Bundesliga club confirmed that the 38-year-old would be following suit next season. The long-time coach will leave the club in the summer. As usual, the club did not provide any information about the term of Schuster’s contract.
“In the past few weeks, we have intensively discussed several internal and external candidates to succeed Christian Streich. At the end of this process, we decided with great conviction to go the same route with Julian Schuster,” said sports director Jochen Saier. “His specialist knowledge, his personality and his extensive identification with the philosophy and values of SC Freiburg were key criteria for us.”
In mid-May, a success story that has lasted more than twelve years will come to an end for the Baden team with Streich’s farewell. On Monday, the 58-year-old announced that he would end his work with the 2022 DFB Cup finalists at the end of the season and make room for “new energy”.
Coaching position at SC for Schuster “A Matter of the Heart”
Schuster is taking on responsibility after being increasingly introduced and involved in the work with the Bundesliga professionals in recent years. Officially he was employed as a liaison trainer between the young talent and the professionals. The former Freiburg midfielder and captain has no experience as a main coach. “For me, coaching at the sports club is both a matter of the heart and a challenge,” explained Schuster. “I am aware of the task and approach it with full conviction, but also with humility and respect.”
The novice coach will take over an established Bundesliga club. After the sports club qualified for the Europa League twice in a row in the last two seasons and reached the round of 16, things are not going quite as well this season. In ninth place, the Breisgauers are in the middle of the table ahead of the remaining eight games.
As a new assistant, Patrik Grolimund will strengthen the Freiburg coaching team. The 43-year-old will be deputy head of pro license training at the German Football Association until the end of June, the club said.
There has not been a change of coach at SC since the 2011/12 winter break. At that time, Streich was promoted from junior coach to head coach and became the successor to Marcus Sorg. In the fast-moving football business, the people of South Baden are an exception and represent continuity. Volker Finke shaped Freiburg between 1991 and 2007. Frank Schmidt, who has coached 1. FC Heidenheim since September 2007, has the longest tenure in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga.