“Only the FCU will be German champions,” chanted the Union fans. It’s not pure irony, says Nils Malzahn, lead editor for sports at the Berliner Zeitung. A comment.
Fans of 1. FC Union, the current league leaders.Matthias Koch/dpa
45 points are still up for grabs in this Bundesliga season. 15 game days to go, where a lot can still happen. Let’s remember the last three games before the World Cup break: It only took eight days and Union Berlin got stuck after a 0:5 in Leverkusen, a 2:2 against FC Augsburg and a 1:4 defeat at SC Freiburg in a mini crisis. Yes, the fast pace of the football business is sometimes absurdly rapid.
By the end of the season on May 27th, several liters of water will still flow down the Spree, some teams will slip down the table and some – which nobody is expecting today – will climb up the rankings. 1. FC Union Berlin will probably not become German champions, but to dismiss this scenario as pure irony is simply wrong.
Because the fact that 15 Bundesliga games still have to be played also means that more than half of the season is already over. And subject to the encounter between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern (Sunday, 5.30 p.m.), the Köpenickers are in first place and have scored 39 points. It’s no coincidence, it’s the product of hard work, smart transfers and an impressive start to the new year.
The winter additions Josip Juranovic, Jérome Roussillon and Aissa Laidouni, who already hinted at his potential during his two brief appearances, seem to have integrated well. In attack, Kevin Behrens has matured from a supplementary player to a real weapon within half a year, the three-man defense has found itself and is still hungry for goals, and no team in the league is as dangerous in standard situations as Union Berlin. There are enough reasons why the Irons are still at the top of the game at the end of the season.
Sure, the habit of the past few years shows: Bayern Munich is German champion. They have the best squad, the most experience, the self-image they call “mia san mia”. (Do you understand that in Berlin at all?) But football shows us again and again that there are exceptions to the rule. In recent years, especially in the Bundesliga, there has been less of a feeling. But you can still have the firm belief that there are still one or two fairy tales in socks and shorts.
The team in front of the fan curve: In Berlin-Köpenick you can dream.City-Press GmbH
Remember the 2004 European Championships when nobody believed that Greece would win the title in the end. Or in 2016, when Leicester City became champions in England, cheated the big clubs from Manchester or London.
One should not plan on the fact that 1. FC Union Berlin will achieve the big hit in the form of the championship title this season. Nobody seriously expects that. The fans sing about the championship because they enjoy it. But behind every joke there is always a spark of seriousness, no matter how tiny it may be. It’s up to the team and coach Urs Fischer to keep this spark blazing a little longer.
