Even in times of success, it was almost a bit unpleasant for Urs Fischer when he suddenly became the center of attention and the fans celebrated him extensively or when his larger-than-life portrait was emblazoned on the side of the forest. The coach gave praise 1. FC Union Berlin I would like to pass it on directly to his players, after all, they were on the pitch, scoring goals, working hard and sweating.
Even on Saturday he didn’t seem entirely at ease with the hype around him. While President Dirk Zingler reiterated before the game on Sky, why the Berliners are sticking with their Swiss coach despite a historic series of defeatsthe fans celebrated with deafening “Urs Fischer” chants.
A little later, with Eintracht Frankfurt already leading 2-0 after two early goals and the Köpenick misfortune taking its course, the Ultras unfurled two banners on the forest side. “It doesn’t matter what the press pigs write. “Urs Fischer is a Unioner and should stay that way,” it read. A fan who walked past the press box during half-time put it in a similar way, albeit without media criticism: “Urs has to stay. Write this.”
© Imago/Matthias Koch
It’s an extraordinary atmosphere that you can see around the Alte Försterei these days. 1. FC Union, fourth last year and Champions League participant, loses and loses, on Saturday for the twelfth time in a row. The team is now in 16th place and the club has declared a relegation battle.
Nevertheless, nowhere do you hear a negative word about the coach, who is usually the weakest link when he fails in the fast-paced football business. Quite the opposite: Urs Fischer is perhaps being celebrated louder than ever before in his five enormously successful years in Berlin.
Naples awaits on Wednesday
“It’s great when you feel the support in such a difficult situation,” said Fischer. “But it also describes a bit of this cohesion at Union. It’s not just told, it’s lived.” Christopher Trimmel knows this all too well. “That is not a given and says a lot about the club. “You don’t forget,” said the captain. In the end, the fans’ uninterrupted support wasn’t enough to finally get at least one point.
There were big accusations against Union on Saturday despite that devastating result of 0:3 not do. “The team showed a great reaction and there were enough opportunities to score,” said Fischer. While the commitment and morale are good, the players are currently simply not managing to achieve their actual quality.
After recent very harmless performances, Union had good chances against Frankfurt, but they were missed. The standards are unrecognizable compared to previous years. Union hasn’t scored a goal in five games. On the other side of the field, the opponents are currently taking advantage of every mistake – and the Berliners make far too many of them.
This mixed situation doesn’t make Fischer’s job easy. Because Union’s biggest problems at the moment are not of a tactical or playful nature, but rather mental. Fischer is in demand as a psychologist and accepts this role. “The coach is doing everything to make sure we get out of there. He talks a lot and is very direct. He can’t do anything more,” said Trimmel. The whole team has to improve in order to finally get on the right track. “I hold every single one of them responsible, including myself.”
As if the situation wasn’t serious enough, the game plan isn’t really optimistic at the moment. On Wednesday (6.45 p.m.) Union will be at Italian champions SSC Napoli as a guest, followed by the away game on Sunday against the still unbeaten Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Then there is the international break. Unless Fischer gives up on his own initiative, he will most likely continue to be the coach of 1. FC Union afterwards.
The post first appeared on www.tagesspiegel.de
