Iron in crisis
Union speaks to the football god: “How many more hits?”
Urs Fischer suffered another bitter defeat with Union. photo
© Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa
Union Berlin is in the biggest sporting crisis under coach Urs Fischer. In Dortmund there is a threat of the seventh defeat in a row. Deadline stress and two large construction sites are a cause for concern.
After the last minute knockout in the premier class Urs Fischer like a tumbling boxer. “How many more hits can you take?” asked the Union Berlin coach, probably more to himself.
But the Swiss quickly regained his fighting spirit after the memorable 3-2 defeat in the Champions League home premiere against SC Braga: “It’s important to get up even after this blow.” The 57-year-old has to manage the biggest Union crisis since he took office in 2018.
But how? There is “no time to train” until the difficult Bundesliga game against runner-up Borussia Dortmund next Saturday, Fischer complained after the sixth competitive defeat in a row. In addition, the Union team’s already weakened self-confidence may have suffered further due to the second stoppage time drama in the second premier class game. “Have we somehow done something wrong? Have we somehow insulted the football god that we are currently being treated like this?” said a completely perplexed national player Robin Gosens.
Double burden becomes noticeable
It seems as if the double burden of the premier class and the Bundesliga is becoming fatal for the Berliners. Actually, the hunt for appointments is not new. First the Conference League, then the Europa League and now the largest European football stage ever: Union is playing internationally for the third year in a row. “Now it seems to have a different quality because we have a lot of things on our minds and not just the Bundesliga. Maybe crucial percentages will then be lost,” manager Oliver Ruhnert recently told “Bild”.
After years of meteoric rise, Berliners are at a low point. The next setback threatens on Saturday against the currently unbeaten BVB. “The Dortmund players know that they should approach this seriously,” sent midfielder Jannik Haberer as a message to the Ruhr area. But it sounds like a declaration of war without substance.
None of the six defeats was as bitter as the one against Braga in the sold-out Olympic Stadium. Leading 2-0 and about to make club history. The goal of wintering in Europe is a long way off after defeats against Real Madrid and Braga. The zero-point performance against the Spaniards was somehow taken into account, but the 0-1 loss in the Bundesliga against newly promoted Heidenheim was not. Officially, the goal for the season remains to reach the 40-point mark and secure relegation. But the transfers of European champion Leonardo Bonucci, national player Gosens and Kevin Volland suggest that the Berliners secretly think in other size categories.
Many Union construction sites
In order to meet the increased expectations, two construction sites must be closed as quickly as possible – otherwise a gloomy September will be followed by an even gloomy October. The efficiency is missing. Union starts – and fails far too often. “I think it’s three hundred percent to take the lead,” said Fischer about the final phase against Braga. “Using opportunities is an issue,” said Haberer.
But the defense is also weak. Since the injury to stabilizer Rani Khedira, the Köpenickers have lacked security in their former feel-good center. The instinctive interaction between the new signings Alex Kral, Bonucci and Gosens is not yet working. The absence of defense chief Robin Knoche contributes to the holey defense structure. “Those were important building blocks,” said Haberer and expressed a wish: “It would be nice to have the entire squad available.”
But this wish remains unfulfilled against Dortmund. “Unlikely,” Fischer replied when asked whether Knoche was fit for action. The players themselves don’t know how Union wants to win against BVB. “But they don’t take us lightly,” assured Haberer.