From BZ/dpa
Union Berlin loses another league home game after 19 months. Was the team distracted or the opponent just better? As always, coach Fischer promises hard work.
The kind words of his colleague Marco Rose accepted Urs Fischer with a smile. The RB Leipzig coach thought it was “great” that Fischer was allowed to play against Real Madrid with Union Berlin in just under two weeks.
“This is something special that you guys more than deserve to look forward to,” Rose said. And added a half-sentence that was of great relevance to fishermen. “Even if it takes a backseat today.”
The Union coach will be extremely careful in the coming days that there is not too much talk about Real and the Champions League. The 0: 3 against RB Leipzig, which ended the series of 24 games without a home defeat in the Bundesliga, was the first small dent in the football world of the Irons, which had been so flawless recently.
Leipzig’s Xavi Simons (2nd from left) celebrates his 1-0. The Unioners are frozen Photo: picture alliance/dpa
Too much external adulation and romanticization of the trip to the Royals in the premier class on September 20 could throw Union off course. Fischer knows that.
His diagnosis that the defeat against Leipzig had nothing to do with the latest top international news seemed all the more reassuring. “As a footballer you have to deal with the situation. The way the team performed today, I didn’t have the feeling that they had Real Madrid in mind, that they seemed aloof and not focused,” said the Swiss. Rather, RB just played with the “slightly finer blade” than his team. The deficit due to the magic shot by Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and the red card for Kevin Volland were the crucial details. The late brace from Benjamin Sesko was ultimately just an additional annoyance.
New signing Leonardo Bonucci warming up during the game. The Italian was not used Photo: picture alliance/dpa
Defense chief Robin Knoche also feels more confronted with the glittering topic of the Champions League from the outside than from within the team. “Of course everyone was happy about the draw,” he said. But: “It’s not a present topic for the next few weeks,” promised Knoche. The defeat rankled powerfully. “It’s an unusual feeling and it doesn’t taste particularly good,” said the defender, who was the only current Union professional to have been there when the Köpenickers last played a league home game against Borussia Dortmund (0:3) on February 13, 2022 had lost.
Fischer will use the international break. Despite a respectable six points and fifth place, his team still doesn’t look like the perfectly coordinated structure of the past few years. In addition, top purchasing Leonardo Bonucci must be integrated. “We saw a lot of good things in today’s game, but also things we need to work on,” said Fischer. He will address these things – before the game against Real Madrid.