1. FC Union Berlin in the Champions League – What can we expect? Seb Stafford-Bloor explains
The Union Berlin players returned for Pre-season this week in preparation for their first-ever Champions League campaign. German football expert Seb Stafford-Bloor highlights what the rest of Europe can expect from Urs Fischer’s side.
The rise of Union Berlin has been a massive surprise for German football.
From securing their first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga in 2019, European football in 2021, to the Champions League in 2023, the club from east Berlin have achieved a feat unlike any other in football.
On the final day of the 2022/23 season, Union only needed a win at home against Werder Bremen to secure Champions League football. But, like all things, it could have been more straightforward.
Starting the day level on points with 5th placed Freiburg, there was a sense that die Eisernen (The Iron Ones) had one eye over their shoulder.
That tentative look became a hard stare when Freiburg took the lead in Frankfurt, and with Union still locked in a stalemate, they slipped out of the top four.
It required someone special to take the reins and get the job done in Berlin.
Step forward, Rani Khedira.
The younger brother of World Cup winner Sami joined Die Eisernen in 2021 and has since been an essential part of the team.
Playing in almost every Bundesliga game, the German ran the Union’s midfield with great authority, and he highlighted that leadership on the final day.
In the 81st minute, Khedira picked up the ball on the edge of the box and fired a powerful shot low past goalkeeper Jiří Pavlenka.
Khedira’s second goal for the club prompted wild scenes in the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, and it proved to be enough to secure Champions League qualification, an achievement previously beyond the wildest dreams of even the most diehard of Unioner.
German football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor spoke highly of Khedira’s contribution to Union Berlin this season:
“He’s had a good career but was only really known as Sami’s brother until he joined Union Berlin, where arguably, for three or four months this season, he might have been the best defensive midfielder in Germany.”
It is high praise.
But when you consider what the midfielder has achieved this season, it is hard to argue.
The Continued Rise of Union Berlin
As the players return from their summer break, preparations have begun for a historic season for Union Berlin.
Manager Urs Fischer has been at the helm since Die Eisernen were in the second division, and he will relish the opportunity to deploy his style of football against the best Europe has to offer.
“The thing with Fischer is that organisation is fundamental to everything his teams do. It’s also interesting how defined some player roles are,” Stafford-Bloor explained.
“Every role has these set tasks within a game, and despite the high turnover of players, he’s able to drop someone new into these roles, and it keeps working.”
“Christopher Trimmel is a good example of this, a player who is really a 2. Bundesliga player but has become a viable Bundesliga player over time because he can complete the tasks Fischer gives him repeatedly.”
Fischer’s style of football has been dubbed “Fußball-terroristen” by some in Germany, which is understandable when you delve into some of the stats.
At one point during last season, they topped the Bundesliga despite being bottom for chances created and xG.
Urs Fischer’s Football
Fischer’s 3-5-2 is compact and unyielding, with its emphasis on reducing space between the lines and eliminating final-third pockets in which creators like to scheme.
Although some will turn their noses up at it, it is a testament to the efficiency of Fischer’s football style.
“It is not necessarily about fancy tactical ideas. It is about being able to describe to people what you want and being able to motivate them into providing that.”
Fischer has already proven that his systematic style can be successful on the European stage.
When Union knocked Ajax out of the Europa League last season, they grounded the Dutch side’s elegant football into dust.
They achieved this simply by sticking to Fischer’s dogged shape and game plan.
Stafford-Bloor witnessed this first-hand in Amsterdam.
“They set up with a back three, wingbacks, solid midfield, counterattacking pacey forwards and one target man, who, if you look at them individually, a lot of them are nothing special, and yet together they can overcome a side full of outstanding players.
“It highlights the value of the system-based approach that Fischer has relied upon.”
It is the shape that helped secure Champions League qualification and one that Fischer will stick to with whoever he has available next season.
The Revolving Door
Changes in the squad occurred over the summer, with Sven Michel, one of the fast-counterattacking forwards, leaving for Augsburg.
“Until this season, he was the second-tier pain in the backside.
“He is the hardworking effort guy, yet he has been able to come into the Bundesliga and be a difference maker.”
Losing Michel was a blow to Union, which again highlights Fischer’s ability to take these hardworking players and elevate them, and there’s little doubt that he and his staff will find someone to replace him.
Contrastingly, the boss hoped that another forward, Sheraldo Becker, would remain a Union Berlin player for another season.
The Suriname international has been pivotal to the club’s success this season and has unsurprisingly caught the eye of other clubs across Europe.
Becker has since decided to stay at Union.
If he had departed, Fischer and his backroom staff have repeatedly proven they can bring replacements to fill those gaps.
The media linked some eye-catching names with a move to east Berlin ahead of the new season, and with their additional talent, there is no telling how much of an impact Union can make on the biggest stage.
One name is Inter Milan’s Robin Gosens.
The German international came off the bench in the Champions League final for the Italians, and that experience will be invaluable for Union Berlin.
Plus, it feels like a solid match for the club and the player.
“Gosens is interesting because he would really fit the mould for Union. He just has a home in that formation.”
“But I do think they need to find that balance of rewarding those players who got the club to the Champions League with the opportunity to play in it.”
The wingback has since arrived in Berlin, providing another example of Union’s smart recruitment strategy.
More significant was the deadline day arrival of Leonardo Bonucci. The 2020 European Championship-winning captain brings valuable experience to Union Berlin as they prepare to compete against Europe’s best.
They are not there to make up the numbers.
With the Champions League looming, there’s potential that some teams may underestimate Union Berlin and the challenge that they bring.
They will not be looking to make up the numbers and could potentially bloody some noses.
“I think teams will underestimate them; we saw that with Ajax this year,” Stafford-Bloor said.
“But one of the realities of football is that the wealth gap allows the bigger teams to be complacent because they are always a £60 million substitute away from getting out of jail.
“Therefore, I can’t see them going into matches against Manchester City and getting a result, but they can certainly cause some problems against the upper-middle-class sides.”
When Union’s name came out of the hat at the Champions League draw, their fans couldn’t have felt more rewarded. A trip to the Bernabeu against Real Madrid awaits them for their Champions League debut. Alongside games against Napoli and Braga, the group provides Die Eisernen various competitive challenges.
But they will approach anyone without fear and with the same sense of occasion.
With their meteoric over the last few years, Europe is in for a treat when Union arrives on the biggest stage.
