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1. FC Union Berlin’s lead in relegation place 16 has melted away. Coach Nenad Bjelica appeals to his team after the defeat in Augsburg. It becomes clear. But does every player understand the seriousness of the situation?
There are still five games left. So they still have five games to stay in the league. But the lead that 1. FC Union has over the relegation place and the relegation places is getting smaller and smaller. That’s probably why Nenad Bjelica, the coach of the Bundesliga club from Berlin, was furious on Friday evening.
After the defeat at the start of the 29th matchday at FC Augsburg (0-2), alarm bells rang for the Croatians. “We are heavily involved in the relegation battle, anyone who doesn’t understand that has no place at Union,” Bjelica announces: “It’s about everything, it’s about existence. It has to be remembered that we are in a relegation battle.”
The Berliners’ lead over relegation place 16 has melted from nine points to six points. And competitors like FSV Mainz 05 and 1. FC Köln can even shorten the score further. “We are heavily in the relegation battle, everyone has to understand that,” said Bejlica. The problem, however, is that his team is in a “comfort zone”. The distance to the rear still sounds comfortable – but that can change quickly. The biggest construction site lasts the entire season. Despite all the defensive strength they have regained, the Berliners remain timid in front of the goal.
“I won’t blame any player,” said the coach
“That’s how we stand in front of the opponent’s box. We have the opportunity to shoot on goal, but we don’t shoot and try to play like Barcelona,” said the coach angrily. Union only scored 25 goals in 29 league games. The Berliners didn’t score at all in the last three games.
The Berliners, who were once again harmless offensively, initiated their own defeat. After a catastrophic back pass from defender Diogo Leite, Phillip Tietz gave Augsburg the lead (47th minute), before former Union player Sven Michel made everything clear shortly before the end. “We have to protect our players, we all lose and win together,” said Bjelica, defending his unlucky man. “I won’t blame any player.”
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Kevin Vogt, Union defender, set a new lull record in the game in Augsburg. Because the Iron team’s defense chief didn’t score a goal in the 2-0 defeat in Augsburg, Vogt has now gone 267 Bundesliga games in a row without scoring. According to data provider Opta, he has surpassed Dietmar Schwager’s goalless record, who failed to score in 266 games between 1964 and 1973.
The 32-year-old last scored a goal for 1. FC Köln in October 2014; it was his third in the Bundesliga. By the way, Vogt scored his first two goals for FC Augsburg – in April 2013 and August 2013 against Dortmund and Nuremberg.
