Matchday 10 Recap: SC Paderborn 07 0 - 0 1. FC Union Berlin

SC Paderborn 07: Zingerle; Dräger, Schonlau, Strohdiek, Collins; Vasiliadis (Hünemeier); Antwi-Adjej, Klement, Schwede (Tekpety); Gueye, Zolinski (Ritter)

1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Lenz, Hübner, Friedrich, Trimmel; Schmiedebach, Prömel, Kroos (Zulj); Gogia (Mees), Andersson (Polter), Hartel

Goals: LMAO

Manuel Schmiedebach might not play for a Red Bull team, but he does appear to have wings. Source: BZ Berlin

When Arsenal went an entire season unbeaten in 2003-2004 and earned the nicknamed “the Invincibles,” naysayers pointed out that of the 38 league matches Arsenal played that season, a shockingly large number actually ended as draws -- 12, to be exact. There are Premier League champions since who have finished seasons with more points than the Invincibles did; while they may have lost a game or two, they didn’t draw nearly as many. Sure, going undefeated was still a brilliant accomplishment for that Arsenal side, but it wasn’t a perfect run, that’s for sure.

Union Berlin are starting to bear a remarkable resemblance to that Arsenal side -- at least on paper. They remain one of only two undefeated teams in the top three flights of German football, with the other being Borussia Dortmund. However, while Dortmund boast a record of 6 wins and 2 draws from 8 games, Union’s record is slightly less impressive; of the 10 matches they’ve played so far, they have a mere 4 wins and a whopping 6 draws. Their more recent draw was this past Sunday, a drab 0-0 away match at newly promoted Paderborn. And while the result marked a continuation of the defensive stability that has been Union’s trademark thus far this season -- the team has allowed by far the fewest goals in the second division, only 7 across 10 matches -- this was a match that cried out for a spark that just never came.

Urs Fischer made two changes to the Union squad that drew Heidenheim at home on Matchday 9 thanks to the goal-scoring heroics of our usual goal-stopping hero, keeper Rafal Gikiewicz. Left back Christopher Lenz slotted in for backline stalwart Ken Reichel, while Robert Zulj stepped out of midfield to be replaced by Felix Kroos (though, in one of Fischer’s now-usual substitutions, he would be subbed on for Kroos later in the game).

This was a matchup between the team with the best defensive record in the 2. Bundesliga -- Union, of course -- against the team with the second-best offensive record in the league -- Paderborn, who sit only behind league leaders Köln on goals scored. Despite only having just been promoted from the 3. Liga -- and only just managing to stay in the 3. Liga that previous season thanks to the meteoric fall of 1860 Munich -- Paderborn have had a strong start to this season. Credit can be given to coach Steffen Baumgart, an Union alum who scored 22 goals across 64 matches for the East Berlin club back in the early 2000s.

Needless to say, an away match against this Paderborn side was never going to be easy -- hell, an away match in the 2. Bundesliga is never going to be easy. Going into the match, a draw would have been a perfectly acceptable outcome. What makes the result feel more disappointing than it perhaps should is how drab Union looked during the game. While both teams boasted 8 shots on goal apiece, very few of those shots from Union posed a serious threat to Paderborn keeper Leopold Zingerle, who in my humble opinion boasts one of the best names in the 2. Bundesliga.

Once again, Union were content to let Paderborn have more of the ball in the first half -- perhaps a dangerous tactic considering how lethal the Paderborn attack has been, but one that has worked for Union so far this season, and worked again here. Rafal Gikiewicz has shaped up to be the signing of the season in my book and kept Paderborn at bay. However, one of Union’s signature last-minute goals to end the first half was nowhere to be found.

One of the bright spots of the match was the return of Joshua Mees, who came on for a shockingly quiet Akaki Gogia around the hour mark. Mees has been absent from the squad since the first match of the season thanks to a pesky hamstring injury, and once he got onto the pitch it was clear that he has an inherent creativity that this team has been lacking since the departure of Steven Skrzybski to Schalke (or more accurately, to Schalke’s stands). Mees is also one of the youngest players on this mature, experienced Union squad and, alongside squad regulars Hartel and Prömel, should provide some much-needed youthful energy to games moving forward.

Despite subbing on Sebastian Polter for Sebastian Andersson, who was rewarded for his Union exploits so far this season with a game for Sweden over the international break, Union couldn’t find a winner. They never looked like losing the game, with the defense continuing to impress, but it’s a shame that they couldn’t steal all three points. Coming up next is another home match, this time against Dynamo Dresden, and needless to say, it’s a must-win. Drawing away from home is one thing, but Union need to win their home games if they have any hope of staying in a promotion spot through the rest of this season.