Union still switches too slowly after winning the ball
Coach Baumgart criticized the "lack of aggressiveness" during the friendly in Fürth. Not a single player was able to make an impact on the second-division team. Union's cardinal problem remains.
Union coach Baumgart saw his team's weak performance. IMAGO/Zink
Jannis Klimburg reports from Union Berlin 's training camp in Herzogenaurach
Union Berlin suffered the first setback of their preseason with a 1-0 defeat at Fürth . Not only because of the result, but also because of the way the Bundesliga club performed against the second-division side. Few ideas, little penetration, and even less pace in their own attacks. According to defender Danilho Doekhi , this was also due to the recent strenuous training camp sessions: "Our legs are a bit tired, of course, but that's normal."
It's much more beneficial that every player gets their minutes. "That's good for fitness," continued Doekhi, whose future at Union Berlin is uncertain: "During the transfer window, anything is always possible; you never know what will happen. But my focus is entirely on Union." The central defender was the only player to play the full 90 minutes in the friendly in Fürth. Coach Steffen Baumgart made a lot of changes, especially in the back three, and, as in previous matches, assigned Tom Rothe to the left wing.
Rothe will appear more often in the three-man defenseThis could perhaps be a precursor to the potentially imminent transfer of the highly sought-after Diogo Leite . According to kicker, the Portuguese is particularly sought after by clubs in Spain and England. Rothe could soon fill this potentially emerging gap. However, the trained left-back still revealed some shortcomings. "The fact that one or two balls don't reach the goal is also due to our routines. But he will appear there one or two times this season," Baumgart predicted.
The head coach criticized the "lack of aggression" in the 1-0 defeat in Fürth. We have to make sure we find our way forward even faster. The freshness will come in the next few games." Above all, Union must improve in the final third, because the Irons are still too often unimaginative and sloppy. A problem that has been a recurring theme over the past two years. And continues to be the cardinal problem for the Berlin team.
kicker
