Unhappy finalist of the German Cup in 2001, Union Berlin was relegated to the third division in 2004 and narrowly escaped bankruptcy. Fifteen years later, the residents of An der Alten Försterei discovered the Bundesliga for the first time in their history as well as a European Cup at the end of their second season in the elite. But it is during the 2022-2023 season that the Berlin team succeeds in getting everyone to agree across the Rhine. By rising to fourth place, the Eiserne or “Iron Men” gave themselves the right to dream of the Champions League and started the current year with an unprecedented status in the championship, that of contender for Europe. But based on the recent performances of Urs Fischer’s flock, success seems to have completely slipped through their fingers.
Struggling in the Champions League, Union Berlin can no longer do it in the championship
For its first participation in the most prestigious European competition, there is no doubt that Union Berlin was planning a very different start to its adventure. Indeed, after only three days, the capital club has still not scored a single point in the competition and has systematically lost by a narrow head. Twice, the scenario was cruel for Urs Fischer’s men. At the opening, the winner of the C1 in 2021 was able to make the difference in added time thanks to the intractable Jude Bellingham (0-1). Again on Tuesday evening against Naples where the Eiserne bowed down in the 65th minute on the only shot on target from the Neapolitans during the game (0-1). Against SC Braga, the partners of Sheraldo Becker, author of a double in 7 minutes, simply played it badly by losing on the gong (2-3). To meet the European challenge, the German club had nevertheless carried out an ambitious transfer window with the arrivals of Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Lucas Tousart (Hertha Berlin), Robien Gosens (Inter Milan) and Diogo Leite (FC Porto). But in view of recent performances, the lack of rhythm of the recruits combined with the lack of experience of the German club works to the disadvantage of the Berlin collective.
If Union Berlin has seriously thwarted its chances of playing in the next round of the Champions League, the club’s state of form in the Bundesliga is more worrying than ever. Certainly, the fourth in the last Bundesliga started the season with great fanfare, as evidenced by his two big successes against Mainz in the opening (4-1) then against Darmstadt (4-1), freshly promoted to the elite. But since then, things have been completely calm and Union Berlin has lost its recipe. Benefiting from a rather affordable schedule, the Berlin team suffered several scathing setbacks, the most recent of which dates back to last weekend. On the occasion of the 8th day of the Bundesliga, Lucas Tousart’s teammates were corrected by Stuttgart, a team in full swing and runner-up to Bayer Leverkusen, in front of their home crowd (3-0). This is already the fifth consecutive defeat for Urs Fischer’s protégés, the ninth in all competitions! In addition to the defensive sector which shows its limits with 17 goals conceded, the Eiserne are no longer able to do so offensively with only 11 small goals scored, far from the 25 scored by the Swabians.
Under tension, how can Union Berlin break the deadlock?
On the tough side, Union Berlin currently occupies 15th place in the standings, with only 2 points ahead of the first non-relegation place, Cologne, and is 9 points behind the qualifying places for a European Cup. To make matters worse, the worrying sporting situation of the Berlin club is generating tension in the locker room and nervousness on the pitch. Last weekend, several rumors across the Rhine reported a certain unease around Leonardo Bonucci. Arriving this summer, the experienced Italian defender has been a shadow of himself since the start of the season. Relegated to the substitutes’ bench during Union Berlin’s last two outings, the 36-year-old does not seem to appreciate his new status. “I spoke to Léo (Bonucci editor’s note) this week so all this surprises me. Of course he is not satisfied. It’s normal, all my players want to play. But I didn’t decide against him, I chose Robin Knoche.”indicated Urs Fischer to the press, thus favoring the return to form of his captain.
In addition to Leonardo Bonucci, it is the case of Datro Fofana who was the talk of the week. Associated with Sheraldo Becker on the front of the Berlin attack against Napoli on Tuesday evening in C1, the striker on loan from Chelsea had a difficult evening at the Olympiastadion. Without succeeding in finding the net, the 20-year-old player was replaced by Kevin Behrens in the 70th minute of play. When leaving, the Ivorian refused to shake his coach’s hand. Although he publicly apologized via social media, his club decided to suspend him for a week, depriving him of upcoming games in the Bundesliga as well as the German Cup. “Everything has to be about the team. Football remains a team sport. And it’s always about how you behave following decisions. Substitutions are part of football. It is important to accept decisions from time to time. I really tried to change his mind. Unfortunately, I didn’t succeed. I hope the boy learns from such situations”the Swiss technician justified himself, comments reported by Sports Bild.
But in the face of the storm, Union Berlin still benefits from the unwavering support of its supporters. Supporting evidence with the speech delivered by a representative of the Ultras following the new poor performance of the Eiserne at the Olympiastadion. “You must be proud of yourselves. You lost 0-1 against Napoli who only managed to get one shot on target. We are living a dream in the Champions League”, he chanted in comments reported by the Italian journalist Marco Messina, present in the stands. To get out of this delicate situation, Union Berlin can also count on the professionalism of its players. Faced with the rumors that have spread about him, Leonardo Bonucci wanted to clarify his situation while recalling the importance of remaining united in adversity. “I have constructive conversations with the coach on a daily basis, I have been very well received and we all want to get out of this situation… I have always respected the decisions of all the coaches and that was the case against Naples. The will to play was undoubtedly great, but today the individual is secondary to the need to defend the team. As I have written in the past, in a team game, the “we” always comes before the “I”defended Leonardo Bonucci, a statement relayed by Sports Bild. It remains to be seen whether the Union will be the strength of Berlin in the days to come. Yet another defeat against Werder Bremen (14th with the same number of points) on the 9th day of the Bundesliga would lead the Berlin leaders to lower their ambitions and place Urs Fischer in an ejection seat.
