Almost every weekend a miracle happens in Freiburg: The Freiburg players have so far managed to build an incredible season, in which they hardly lose a game and are therefore deservedly in second place.
A year ago no one would have dared to dream of Freiburg playing so high and helping to govern the league. Now fans are already expecting to make it to the top 4 this year! But how do you explain this flight of fancy?
For a neutral football observer somewhere in Germany, SC Freiburg should actually be a boring club. You don’t hear about scandals, you don’t buy big stars, you don’t set outsized goals for the season, but you don’t even fight against relegation. The club doesn’t even change its coach or management from time to time like almost all other football clubs do. But it is precisely these facts that make the SC interesting and so special. This independence, by not submitting to the “mechanisms of the football business”, guarantees the achievement of continuity, always demanded by all other Bundesliga clubs but never achieved.
But why does it work so much better in southern Baden than in the rest of Germany? One reason for the current peak is the squad: a good mix of young players (Sildillia, Keitel and Weißhaupt), but also older, more experienced players such as long-time favorite Christian Günter or Freiburg’s top scorer Nils Petersen. Newcomers like Doan from Eindhoven or Gregoritsch from FC Augsburg (exchange for Demirovic) also had a big impact. High-quality player Nico Schlotterbeck (for 20 million at BVB) was replaced by world champion Mathias Ginter. Not to forget SC winger Vincenzo Grifo, who is currently at the top. Il Grifo is the one who has scored the most goals this season and is also busy preparing. Vince (nickname) has become a face of SC Freiburg with his blend of creativity and threat on goal or off the pitch as an identifying figure.
In addition there is – one of the most important – coach Christian Streich, who has been in charge at SC for the past ten years. He regularly pushes the team forward and is also a very down-to-earth person, which fans and players feel. The fact that Streich remains manager even when the club relegate demonstrates the bond and trust that the club has towards Streich. With his odd nature and distinctly Badense touch in interviews, Streich has become a highly likable coach with visible success.
Furthermore, the sports club plays so well because the team is well established and has known each other for years (e.g. Grifo, Günter, Kübler and Petersen). Players like Gulde and Lienhart have become real top players in Breisgau.
The new stadium is also an important factor for the success, Freiburg is perceived as a top team in the new stadium. While the old Dreisam Stadium, with its too short and crooked pitch, represented the image of the small SC Freiburg, the steep bleachers of the new building demonstrate the new self-confidence and success of the sports club. With this good mentality, which prevails among the players, but also among the fans, the South Baden team is winning one game after another. Only three of 23 competitive matches were lost. Thanks to their most important game win against FC Union Berlin recently, they managed to stay in second place over the winter. With a gap of just four points to Bayern, SC are Bayern’s number one chaser.
Freiburg also demonstrates its best form internationally in the Europa League. The team is currently in the round of 16. If the season goes on like this, you may already have a May 31 final date marked in your calendar.
