Union’s Brenden Aaronson (r.) made the difference against Bremen’s Senne Lynen.
Photo: imago/Luciano Lima
The atmosphere in the Alte Försterei on Saturday was reminiscent of a time not so long ago – when coach Urs Fischer steered 1. FC Union’s triumphant march through football Germany to Europe’s biggest stage. The whole stadium celebrated, the team danced exuberantly on the grass. This time the Berliners celebrated liberation. After three games without a win, the 2-1 win against Werder Bremen came at the right time: the lead over the relegation places could be increased and the international break could be started with fewer worries.
Brendan Aaronson contributed significantly to the Berlin victory. The American tirelessly boosted the attack, and his impressive volley in stoppage time in the first half was Union’s best chance up to that point. Five minutes after the restart, the 23-year-old opened the scoring on the left through Yorbe Vertessen, and two minutes later he scored after a fine one-two with Vertessen in the Bremen penalty area to make it 2-0.
When Aaronson talked about it later, he didn’t look like a winner. Sure, on the one hand he talked about his not always good time since the move last summer, and the difficult situation of the team and the club didn’t make it any easier for him. But you couldn’t tell that he was happy about his “new freedom in the game.” Finally, he spoke about a game that could have been overturned after Bremen’s goal in the 63rd minute by Mitchell Weiser, “because it is difficult for us to create chances.”
Similar analyzes have often been heard from Berliners recently. Striker Kevin Volland, for example, who was not in the starting line-up this time, criticized the “occupation of the penalty area” after the home game against Dortmund two weeks ago. As against Werder, Union dominated the action on the pitch against Borussia, but – as in almost all games – they were rarely able to really pose a threat to their opponents. Coach Nenad Bjelica always complained about the “lack of efficiency”. Logically, his assessment of the win against Bremen was as follows: “We were more efficient in front of the goal.”
Bjelica’s explanation of the problems is amazing. Not just because he puts the blame on the shoulders of his players who don’t hit the goal. The numbers also speak against the coach: measured by efficiency, the Berliners are in 14th place in the Bundesliga. However, if you look at the chances created and shots on the opponent’s goal, Union is at the bottom. And so the problem lies more with the system and the tactics, i.e. the coach’s area of responsibility. The final phase against Werder particularly showed how few automatisms and running and passing routes work in the offensive. The Berliners ran towards the Bremen goal several times with good prospects, but again and again without success.
Bjelica was able to give the team the most important thing, defensive stability, quite quickly. This meant that the Berliners managed to escape from the relegation zone and are now nine points ahead of the relegation zone. But doubts about the offensive remain. “You can practice finishing,” Bjelica said before the game against Werder. As decisively and thoughtfully as Vertessen and Aaronson sank the balls into the Bremen goal, the practice seems to be having an effect. To fix the fundamental problem, more is needed. The new attacking three-man chain, in which both Aaronson and Vertessen say they feel comfortable, can be an option.
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