Success is no coincidence: 1. FC Union sets a club record

Who would have thought that possible before this season? After the away win over Werder Bremen, 1. FC Union ended the first series in the Bundesliga in a sensational second place and once again set a new club record. Coach Urs Fischer probably least expected it. “Compliments to the team for their performance. 33 points after the first half of the season, I think I can say that, is extraordinary,” said Fischer.

The fisherman, who, as always, is very reserved with songs of praise, can certainly say that. Because being the first pursuer of champions Bayern Munich is anything but a matter of course for Union. Teams like Borussia Dortmund or RB Leipzig are actually responsible for this. “Both surprise me. That we are in second place with 33 points and that there are big teams behind us at the moment,” said Fischer.

Even if that was almost to be expected after the strong first half of the season, apart from the two outliers against Leverkusen and Freiburg shortly before the winter break. Union has developed into a mature team, especially over this season and proved that again against Werder.

33 points after the first half of the season, I think I can say that, is extraordinary.

Union coach Urs Fischer on second place in the Bundesliga.

After Fischer’s team often found it difficult to turn a game around after going behind, they proved against TSG Hoffenheim and Bremen on Wednesday evening that they have also overcome this deficit. And if one thing is certain, it is that it is incredibly difficult to put Union under pressure again or even to score points when they are in the lead.

Best headed goal stats in the league

Added to this is the special strength in standards, which resulted in eleven header goals this season. Union leads this statistic in the Bundesliga, followed by Werder with eight goals per head. Newcomer Josip Juranovic, who showed on Wednesday that he can help immediately in this regard, perfectly set up Köpenick’s second goal after a corner on his debut. “It’s the same with Josip, he’s full of juice, he played with Celtic in the championship last week, he’s in rhythm,” said Fischer, explaining his decision to bring him on from the start.

The game against Werder revealed weaknesses, but they are nothing new. Union often doesn’t know what to do with the ball, as you could see again, especially in the first half. There is still a lack of creativity on the offensive, which means that the Berliners sometimes depend on mistakes to create their own chances.

This was also the case against Werder, where the Union prepared two goals after individual failures by Amos Pieper and Jiri Pavlenka. Even if Becker’s goal didn’t count in the end, it was one of the few opportunities that Union immediately took advantage of.

The fact that Union is extremely efficient in front of goal is well known and remains a great strength of the Berliners. The fact that they largely survived a period of pressure from the hosts in the first half, despite a few defensive wobbles, is a sign of the luck that the Berlin team has this season. Fischer is of the same opinion: “We had the necessary luck in the competition. We addressed that at half-time and then the team played it really confidently and cleverly in the second half.”

Another indication that 1. FC Union is so high in the table for a reason: The Berliners are constantly developing their mature game system and are able to find the necessary solutions in the game to be successful. Only the really big ideas on the offensive are still missing. Relying solely on opponents’ mistakes and your own standards could be insufficient in the long term to remain in a Champions League position.

With the second win in the second game since the winter break, the Unioners can now confidently look forward to the upcoming derby on Saturday (3.30 p.m., Sky) at Hertha BSC. Even if Fischer, as he says, allows himself a little celebratory mood before that, now that Union can call themselves autumn runners-up.