Union footballers after the win against Frankfurt: Won again as a team – and celebrated.
Photo: imago/Contrast
From minor annoyances to great anger – at 1. FC Union a lot had built up in the past few weeks. When club president Dirk Zingler came out of the dressing room beaming with joy early on Sunday evening, it became clear how important the sense of achievement, which is often described as very significant, is. The Berlin footballers had defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 on the 25th match day of the Bundesliga.
Three days earlier, Captain Christopher Trimmel had sent what appeared to be a call for help. After the 3-0 draw at Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, he hoped both the manager and the president would find “the right words”. It wasn’t so much the elimination in the round of 16 of the Europa League that annoyed everyone in Berlin, but the manner of the defeat in Belgium. Coach Urs Fischer even saw the capital of the Köpenicker path to success threatened when he demanded that his players have to play as a team again.
“We didn’t play well today either,” Rani Khedira admitted honestly on Sunday. With his first goal in the Union jersey, the midfield boss put the Berliners in the lead after 53 minutes. You could see the joy in him. More important to Khedira after four games without a win were the three points after Kevin Behrens made it 2-0 a quarter of an hour before the final whistle: “The win is good for the feeling.” And because the coach was able to praise another team performance, the much-needed two-week international break can be spent a little more relaxed and halfway harmoniously.
The fans also complain about atmospheric changes. “And we love our club and we’re proud of it, FC Union from Berlin,” was the intentional whistle on the forest side. Anyone who had previously read the stadium booklet knew why. The Ultras from the Wuhle Syndikat described their worries there on a whole page. They call the pictures of the home games against 1. FC Köln and Union Saint-Gilloise »disappointing« and »unworthy« when an unusually large number of spectators left the stadium immediately after the final whistle. It makes “angry, and you get the feeling that something Union seems to be lost with sporting success. Namely the humility for everything we are currently experiencing, as well as the recognition and gratitude towards our team and the coaching staff.«
Where in the past the team was said goodbye with applause even after defeats, is it not enough to win a point today, not even in a European Cup game? Despite the understandable »grown expectations«, no one should forget where 1. FC Union comes from and what makes it strong, demand the active fans. With the same reasoning, coach Fischer dismissed the many nonsensical questions about the championship. However, it seems as if the whole club is struggling with the effects of the unexpected successes.
If the team has sometimes lacked dynamism and strength recently, it is due to the heavy workload. The game against Frankfurt was the 15th in the past eight weeks. Every team knows phases in a season when things go badly. If Union then even gets points at such a time, as in the last draws against Schalke, Cologne and Wolfsburg, then at least the numbers hardly give cause for much criticism. And so the Köpenickers, third in the table, are clearly on course for the new goal for the season that they set early on after staying up in the league. Goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow, who was once again outstanding on Sunday, put it this way after the “very, very important win” against Frankfurt: “We want to play in Europe again next year.”
The conclusion of this European Cup season was positive despite the disappointing performance last Thursday. “In the end we agree that it was outstanding,” said Captain Trimmel. Coach Urs Fischer was also »proud« and said »that we represented our colors well internationally«. And with new freshness, the next points for new European experiences can be recorded in the upcoming home game on April 1st against VfB Stuttgart.
But there will still be a problem after the break. Fischer very rarely changes his starting eleven. Against Frankfurt, for example, he did this on the left side of defence: Timo Baumgartl and Niko Gießelmann were often overwhelmed there, especially in the first half. Rani Khedira is also a seed. If it is missing, there is a lack of stability in the center. When Paul Seguin came on for him after just over an hour in the penultimate Bundesliga game, Wolfsburg created more chances in the obviously larger spaces in front of the defense and ultimately equalized. There have been problems on the offensive since Sheraldo Becker and Jordan Siebatcheu have been weakening. With newly gained strength and without a triple burden, this should work in the nine remaining Bundesliga games. President Dirk Zingler has already announced major investments for the new season.
