Matchday 1 Recap: 1. FC Union Berlin 1 - 0 FC Erzgebirge Aue
1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Friedrich, Parensen, Reichel; Prömel, Schmiedebach (Kroos), Hartel; Gogia (Hedlund), Redondo (Mees), Andersson
FC Erzgebirge Aue: Männel; Kalig, Cacutalua, Tiffert; Fandrich, Hochscheidt, Rizzuto, Herrmann; Kvesic (Rapp), Bertram (Baumgart), Nazarov (Iyoha)
Goals: Union - Kroos, 87
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| Toni who? |
But instead of righting the ship, the coaching change just doomed it to sink further into the abyss (or, at least, into the lower half of the table, which may as well be the abyss if you’re seeking promotion). The team kept leaking goals and blowing leads. Star striker and quintessential Second Division Heartthrob (catchphrase copyright me) Sebastian Polter ruptured his Achilles at the beginning of March, which meant that goals became increasingly few and far between. The club ended up finishing the season in 8th place, but the 2. Bundesliga standings were so close that they only secured safety from relegation to the 3. Liga in the penultimate week of the season. All in all, a very disappointing way to follow a season where the club’s first-ever promotion to the top flight was briefly within sight, even if the view was still rather blurry around the edges.
But the 2018-2019 season promises to be a fresh start for Union Berlin. Among several staff shake-ups, Hofschneider was replaced with Urs Fischer, who most recently coached the Swiss side Basel to back-to-back championships and Champions League qualification. Nice credentials, to be sure, but the battle for promotion in the 2. Bundesliga is a whole other challenge.
Is Fischer the man to finally guide Union Berlin into the top flight? That remains to be seen. One thing is for certain after watching Union Berlin’s often unpleasant slog of a home opener against FC Erzgebirge Aue on Sunday: this is a team that is still struggling to come together under a new coach. Yet kicking off the season with three points secured at home, no matter how ugly the game may have been, should give Union fans some confidence that the team will find its footing in the coming weeks.
Fischer’s first-ever Union Berlin starting 11 featured four new signings: goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz, left back Ken Reichel, midfielder Manuel Schmiedebach, and forward Sebastian Andersson. (Polter remains out injured for the foreseeable future and could be spotted in the stand at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei looking rather distressed.) The amount of new blood in the team immediately showed, albeit not in a good way. Union were lucky to get out of the first half without being down to Aue, who appeared more dangerous in attack but fortunately lacked the finishing skills necessary to get the ball past Gikiewicz. If balls into the stands counted as goals, Aue would have been up by at least three before halftime.
Felix Kroos’ season didn’t get off to the best start, with the captain’s armband being taken away from him and given to veteran right back Christopher Trimmel only five days before the first match of the season. Kroos then started Sunday’s match against Aue on the bench, coming on to replace new boy Schmiedebach in the 81st minute. Yet despite the limited time he received, Kroos made the maximum possible impact on the game, stepping up to take an absolutely stunning free kick in the 87th minute that was the only goal of an otherwise pretty dour game. It was a perfectly taken game-winning set piece to rival the one taken by his older brother during this summer’s World Cup.
Until Kroos came on, Union looked woefully lacking in creativity. They appeared to be sorely missing the spark provided by hometown hero Steven Skrzybski, who departed in the offseason to join Schalke -- a move very much deserved after a standout 2017-2018 season, but one that Union fans can’t help but feel bittersweet about. But in subbing on Kroos -- as well as speedy young wingers Simon Hedlund and Joshua Mees -- Fischer re-energized a squad that was increasingly flagging under the relentless onslaught of Aue. And it’s no wonder they were looking run down: three of the team’s four starting defenders were over the age of 30. (Meanwhile, the club’s bench was stacked with youth, with Kroos being the oldest at age 27.)
The subs made the difference for Union, no doubt, and Fischer deserves credit for making the right changes to save the game -- but one wonders if the squad would have been better suited by having Kroos and company in the starting eleven instead. He might not be wearing the armband anymore, but Kroos still provides much-needed leadership on the pitch, not to mention creativity. Until he came on the pitch, I had literally no idea where any Union goal would come from, and that has the potential to be a huge problem moving forward. Good thing the coach already has a solution at his fingertips. I’m not sure what Fischer saw over the summer to make him think otherwise, but one thing is for certain: Felix Kroos does make a great impact sub, but he makes an even better starter.
Next week, Union take on freshly relegated FC Köln, who are already living up to everyone’s expectations that they’ll be immediately promoted back up to the top flight after winning their first match 2-0 over Bochum. In Timo Horn, Köln have by far the most talented keeper in the second division, so Union’s attack will need to be extra sharp if they want to secure at least a point against the Billy Goats. They won’t be able to get away with playing 80 minutes of lackadaisical football this time around.
But the 2018-2019 season promises to be a fresh start for Union Berlin. Among several staff shake-ups, Hofschneider was replaced with Urs Fischer, who most recently coached the Swiss side Basel to back-to-back championships and Champions League qualification. Nice credentials, to be sure, but the battle for promotion in the 2. Bundesliga is a whole other challenge.
Is Fischer the man to finally guide Union Berlin into the top flight? That remains to be seen. One thing is for certain after watching Union Berlin’s often unpleasant slog of a home opener against FC Erzgebirge Aue on Sunday: this is a team that is still struggling to come together under a new coach. Yet kicking off the season with three points secured at home, no matter how ugly the game may have been, should give Union fans some confidence that the team will find its footing in the coming weeks.
Fischer’s first-ever Union Berlin starting 11 featured four new signings: goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz, left back Ken Reichel, midfielder Manuel Schmiedebach, and forward Sebastian Andersson. (Polter remains out injured for the foreseeable future and could be spotted in the stand at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei looking rather distressed.) The amount of new blood in the team immediately showed, albeit not in a good way. Union were lucky to get out of the first half without being down to Aue, who appeared more dangerous in attack but fortunately lacked the finishing skills necessary to get the ball past Gikiewicz. If balls into the stands counted as goals, Aue would have been up by at least three before halftime.
Felix Kroos’ season didn’t get off to the best start, with the captain’s armband being taken away from him and given to veteran right back Christopher Trimmel only five days before the first match of the season. Kroos then started Sunday’s match against Aue on the bench, coming on to replace new boy Schmiedebach in the 81st minute. Yet despite the limited time he received, Kroos made the maximum possible impact on the game, stepping up to take an absolutely stunning free kick in the 87th minute that was the only goal of an otherwise pretty dour game. It was a perfectly taken game-winning set piece to rival the one taken by his older brother during this summer’s World Cup.
Until Kroos came on, Union looked woefully lacking in creativity. They appeared to be sorely missing the spark provided by hometown hero Steven Skrzybski, who departed in the offseason to join Schalke -- a move very much deserved after a standout 2017-2018 season, but one that Union fans can’t help but feel bittersweet about. But in subbing on Kroos -- as well as speedy young wingers Simon Hedlund and Joshua Mees -- Fischer re-energized a squad that was increasingly flagging under the relentless onslaught of Aue. And it’s no wonder they were looking run down: three of the team’s four starting defenders were over the age of 30. (Meanwhile, the club’s bench was stacked with youth, with Kroos being the oldest at age 27.)
The subs made the difference for Union, no doubt, and Fischer deserves credit for making the right changes to save the game -- but one wonders if the squad would have been better suited by having Kroos and company in the starting eleven instead. He might not be wearing the armband anymore, but Kroos still provides much-needed leadership on the pitch, not to mention creativity. Until he came on the pitch, I had literally no idea where any Union goal would come from, and that has the potential to be a huge problem moving forward. Good thing the coach already has a solution at his fingertips. I’m not sure what Fischer saw over the summer to make him think otherwise, but one thing is for certain: Felix Kroos does make a great impact sub, but he makes an even better starter.
Next week, Union take on freshly relegated FC Köln, who are already living up to everyone’s expectations that they’ll be immediately promoted back up to the top flight after winning their first match 2-0 over Bochum. In Timo Horn, Köln have by far the most talented keeper in the second division, so Union’s attack will need to be extra sharp if they want to secure at least a point against the Billy Goats. They won’t be able to get away with playing 80 minutes of lackadaisical football this time around.
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