Union Berlin goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow didn’t want to say whether it was a good or bad sign when a goalkeeper was the best player on his team.
“Well, if you ask the goalkeepers…” said the Dane, laughing after his important saves in his team’s 0-0 draw against 1. FC Köln, but then became more serious: “Of course I’m happy to keep a clean sheet, but today’s performance wasn’t enough for three points.”
As in the Bundesliga home game against Schalke 04, the 22,012 spectators in the sold-out Alte Försterei saw no goals and a home team that made a real effort without creating much danger. The Irons have been waiting for a win and a goal in the league for three games.
Coach Urs Fischer had wanted a reaction to the tired appearance in the top league game at Bayern Munich and, according to his own assessment, saw it too. “The team really put a lot into it. The statistics show that,” said the Swiss. “She kept trying to get up to Cologne and stress.” He is satisfied.
Fischer: “The last greed” was missing
So far, so normal for an assessment by the Union coach. But in the nuances, the 57-year-old became clear. In the second half, his team at times “begged for a goal.” Regarding the unsuccessful attacking efforts, he said: “The game with the ball was certainly insufficient.”
Blaming it on a lack of luck in the game was too easy for him, he said. The precision, “the last greed in the last 30 meters” was missing. “We’re struggling with developing the power to score a goal at the moment,” said the coach. The lawn, which was newly laid during the week and has not yet grown perfectly, did the rest. “It wasn’t easy for either of them, but you have to get used to the conditions,” said Fischer.
Union two points ahead of Leipzig and Freiburg
The offensive lull in the league comes at the wrong time for the iron. The gap to the top of the table has grown to five points. For the time being, the Köpenickers say goodbye to the master race. Even more annoying: For the more realistic goal of qualifying for the Champions League, wins against Schalke and Cologne could have given you an excellent starting position, since Leipzig lost and Freiburg also only played a draw.
The Irons remain third in the table, two points ahead of the pursuers. But you rarely look at the table in Köpenick before the 34th matchday, at least in public.
“Almost every team goes through a phase like this”
“The answer to the Bayern game was the most important thing for us. We showed our face again today,” said captain Christopher Trimmel. The Austrian said of the problems at the end: “It will come again. Almost every team in the Bundesliga has a phase like this, with the exception of two or three.” However, the Berliners had measured themselves against them in the past few months – and will only stay higher if the attack develops more force again.
The guests almost became the first Bundesliga opponent in more than a year to kidnap three points from the Alte Försterei. “We had a few better chances to score where Union had a very good goalkeeper,” said FC coach Steffen Baumgart. “But I can’t say I’m disappointed now.” After two defeats in a row, the Rhinelanders managed to win a point again. The team remains in the lower midfield of the league.
Fischer also made it clear that Rönnow had probably saved his team the point. “He’s characterized by his calmness. We could use that. In the game with the ball we didn’t have it for over ninety minutes today,” said the Swiss. In the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League against the Belgian top club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday (6.45 p.m. / RTL) it should look different.
