They are in a single-digit position in the table. Surprisingly. The European Cup places are in sight. Even if it can only be the European Conference League. So the newly created competition of Uefa. And no one would have thought they could do it before the season. What does that have to do with the 1st FC Union? Quite a few. But for once we are not talking about the Iron. But from Fortuna Sittard and the former crowd favorite among the Köpenickers – Sebastian Polter.
Because he romps with the Limburgers in undreamt-of realms. Fortuna is in ninth place. Four points separate them from the places in which an international starting place will be played off. If someone had promised me that after our bad start to the season, I would have signed it immediately, “says the Polter who commutes to Sittard every day from Aachen, where he lives with his girlfriend Ilena.
Sittard off to a bad start
His Dutch left a lot to be desired. The official language at Sittard on the square is more English. Or German. “Most of them here can do that quite well. At least a lot better than I do in Dutch,” laughs Polter. He has not yet noticed much of his new adopted home. Neither on this side nor on the other side of the border. “Corona doesn’t allow that much,” said Polter. Family life is not always easy either. “I’m not a business traveler,” said Polter, who commutes to Wolfsburg by train as often as possible on days off to see his two children who live there. Hotels are hard to get these days in a lock down for private individuals.
But back to Fortuna. Three points after ten games gave cause for concern. But after the coaching change – Sjors Ultee replaced Kevin Hofland, who had lured Polter to Holland, in mid-November – the upswing followed bit by bit. Polter is not entirely uninvolved with eight stalls and three assists, even if he admits that there was more to it.
“We absolutely want to defend this single-digit position,” said Polter. For even more, however, a lot would have to happen – as is the case with Union. Even with Polter. The hits should still be in two digits. “We’d have to beat a big one,” Polter knows. The opportunity to do so would be this weekend. PSV Eindhoven is coming on Sunday (2.30 p.m. / DAZN). With Mario Götze and Roger Schmidt as trainers. A win for Fortuna would also attract increased attention in Germany.
–The reasons for the upturn are complex. “Many top performers didn’t come until the summer. It took a while before we found each other. And one person alone cannot fix anything. I’m not a Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. I live a lot from my colleagues and I also needed some start-up time, ”said the 29-year-old, who feels completely at home at Fortuna and whose contract runs until 2022.
The level of the Dutch league would place Polter somewhere between the lower half of the Bundesliga and the upper half of the 2nd division in Germany. Except maybe for the top clubs. So above all Ajax and PSV.
It is now up to you to beat them. So that Sittard’s dream of Europe lives on. And there may be a reunion with the 1st FC Union there in the coming season. The contact to Köpenick has never been broken off at Polter. “I even congratulated the coach on his birthday the other day,” said Polter. Once a Union, always a Unioner.
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