Bundesliga: Union wants to overcome crisis with Fischer – “100 percent”

Union Berlin coach Urs Fischer no longer noticed the encouragement from his own supporters.

With his head hanging, the ailing coach trotted into the dressing room after the tenth competitive defeat in a row, while the fans of the crashed Champions League participant who had traveled with him shouted the Swiss’s name. “Of course it’s great when you can experience such support in a very difficult situation,” said Fischer later when asked about the expressions of support that are not a given in the football business.

Despite the dramatic downturn, Fischer still enjoys the support of the Berlin bosses. “There is absolutely no wrongdoing. He will be on the bench on Tuesday,” said Union manager Oliver Ruhnert on Saturday after the 0-2 (0-1) draw in the Bundesliga crisis duel at Werder Bremen in the ZDF “Sportstudio”. The Berliners face VfB Stuttgart in the second round of the DFB Cup on Tuesday. “We still want to solve this situation together. It must and will continue,” said Fischer. “I will set the best example and prepare the team accordingly for the game against Stuttgart.”

Appearance in Bremen was a step backwards

What happens next remains to be seen. Another defeat – and things could actually get tight for the long-time successful coach. A scenario that no one at the Alte Försterei would have thought possible before the start of the season. Fischer (57) has been working at Union for five years now, and things have only been going up for the Köpenick team for five years – with qualifying for the Champions League last season as the preliminary highlight.

But suddenly nothing is going on for the Berliners this season. The game against Bremen, who were also badly hit after three defeats, revealed many symptoms of a relegation season. Defeat due to an own goal by Robin Knoche, red card for Rani Khedira – of all people, the two professionals who had been sorely missed for a long time played a significant role in the defeat. “Maximally unfortunate,” commented Knoche about his header into his own goal. “That’s a shitty feeling.” Khedira was also crestfallen. “I did the team a disservice. I’m sorry for the team,” said Khedira.

Khedira: There is trust in Fischer

While the Berliners had shown signs of improvement four days earlier in the 1-0 defeat in the Champions League against SSC Napoli, the performance on the Weser was another step backwards. “The performance was such that you can definitely be worried,” said Ruhnert. “There are too many things at the moment where you have to deal with whether the eleven players who are the first eleven are also the first eleven who can play in the next games,” the manager said, taking the team into account Duty. “You have to say clearly: For the first time in all these years we really have a situation where it’s actually about staying in the league.”

It is at least doubtful whether everyone in the team understood this. In Bremen, the Unioners surrendered to the next defeat relatively defenseless. The guests didn’t have a real chance to score throughout the entire game. The discussions surrounding the allegedly dissatisfied Leonardo Bonucci and the one-week suspension of David Fofana had not left the team unscathed. The trust in the coach is still there. “100 percent, of course,” Khedira answered on Sky when asked whether Fischer was still the right man.