New coach Bo Svensson welcomed 21 field players plus three goalkeepers to the start of training on Wednesday. However, Kevin Volland was absent due to knee problems – and will be absent for a while.
Kevin Volland will be missing from Union Berlin for a while longer in preparation for the 2024/25 season. IMAGO/Contrast
Back to the beginning: On Wednesday, Union’s new coach Bo Svensson welcomed 21 field players plus three goalkeepers to the start of training in front of around 150 spectators. While the European Championship players Tymoteusz Puchacz (Poland), Frederik Rönnow (Denmark), Josip Juranovic (Croatia), Laszlo Benes (Slovakia), Leopold Querfeld (Austria) and Andras Schäfer (Hungary) will gradually arrive, Kevin Volland was somewhat surprisingly absent due to injury. The offensive player has been suffering from knee problems since the end of the last season.
That’s why a “minor intervention” had to be carried out during the summer break, as Svensson revealed after the session: “But it’s not that bad, we have to build him up carefully. But it was necessary, the first step. My hope is that he can join in at some point during the preparation.” Jerome Roussillon was also not part of the team. The Frenchman trained individually instead. Aissa Laidouni and Lennart Grill will also join in the coming days.
Game analyst Tijan Njie first made the announcements
What was on the agenda on the first day? First, athletic trainer Martin Krüger took the squad for a few relaxed runs, followed by simple passing exercises and a game format. What was striking was that game analyst Tijan Njie took over at first and made the announcements. Afterwards, Svensson, who had initially acted as a silent observer, increasingly joined in. In between, he also sought dialogue with individual players. For example, after the session with Aljoscha Kemlein. “I noticed a few things in training. And that’s why we spoke,” explained the coach.
The Dane also said that he had already gathered a lot of first impressions before the start. “The boys themselves increased the tempo. There was a lot of momentum, which wasn’t actually planned. But I enjoyed it,” said Svensson, who now wants to gradually increase the workload in the coming days. One focus is to get into it slowly. “In the first week you always have to be careful what you do, so that the boys feel their bodies and get a feel for the ball.”
The first test match will take place on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) against regional league team BSC Chemie Leipzig. Svensson: “I hope we get through it well and everyone can play 45 minutes.”
2024-07-03 11:51:51
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