Rani Khedira (right), here against Alexander Hack from Mainz, has what it takes to become a leading player at Union.
Photo: dpa/Andreas Gora
Urs Fischer used an old football wisdom on Monday. “The next game is always the hardest,” said the 1. FC Union coach. The Berliners open the quarter-finals in the DFB Cup this Tuesday evening – and welcome FC St. Pauli to the Alte Försterei. Fischer, on the other hand, is not at all interested in any other regularity. The cup is known to be the shortest route to a title. When asked if he had this goal in mind, he resolutely said no. To justify his reasons, he first cited the rules of the game of the German Football Association: “It’s a quarter-final, then there’s a semi-final.” Then, again in the sense of the famous words of Sepp Herberger, he pointed out the upcoming opponent from Hamburg: ” It’s going to be a very difficult game.«
The chances of winning the cup have certainly increased due to the elimination of many big favorites. Likewise the fact that four of the eight teams in the quarter-finals come from the second Bundesliga. However, an unwritten rule calls for caution in this case: FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen had to bow to the very own laws of the cup this season. Fischer also referred to this again. Because it was the second division footballers from St. Pauli who had knocked Dortmund’s Champions League team out of the competition. “And not undeservedly so,” emphasized Fischer.
The Berliners can still approach the game optimistically. After three previous defeats without scoring a goal, Union celebrated a 3-1 win against Mainz 05 on Saturday. How liberating three goals and points can sometimes be was evident in the words of one of the game’s key protagonists. “The last few weeks have been very tough for us,” said Sheraldo Becker, relieved after the final whistle. The 27-year-old offensive player scored the 2-0 himself with a dream shot into the corner of the Mainz goal and prepared the decisive 3-0.
Urs Fischer emphasized the great importance of this sense of achievement again on Monday: “It was important for everyone to win this game.” At the same time, the Union coach put the result-oriented review of February into perspective. It wasn’t all bad before. And after a win, all is not well now. But the game against Mainz already gave some valuable clues. The new, previously missing determination in the offensive actions is just as encouraging as the rediscovered stability on the defensive.
A gap does not seem to be closed yet. After the departure of Marvin Friedrich and Max Kruse in winter, whom Fischer had described as “leading players”, such a player is missing in some moments. On Saturday, the Berliners took the initiative from the start in the game against Mainz, and Genki Haraguchi’s early opening goal after seven minutes was almost logical, at least deserved. After that, however, starting with a minute-long discussion about the goal and a yellow card for Mainz coach Bo Svensson, Union let themselves be infected by the opponent’s restlessness, lost clarity in their own minds and control over the game. And there was no Berliner who tried or was ultimately able to solve the situation. This was only achieved as a team at the beginning of the second half.
Maybe it takes a little more time for a reorganization of the team structure – especially on the pitch. Not every footballer is suitable, but a candidate for the vacant managerial role would be Rani Khedira. Strategically, he has been fulfilling the tasks in the midfield center convincingly for a long time. After coming to Berlin in the summer, after a short period of adjustment, he was able to absorb the departure of Robert Andrich, who had been the most dominant player up to that point. Against Mainz, the 28-year-old was the safe link between defense and attack, on the defensive he hardly allowed any gaps in the center with his good eye for the ball, space and opponents. With a little more courage and volume, Khedira could also determine the rhythm of the game depending on the situation.
