Union Berlin and Freiburg top Bundesliga with wisdom, not wealth

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga’s perennial and expected top two, spent at least €30 million on four separate players this summer.

Freiburg and Union Berlin, the Bundesliga’s actual top two after the conclusion of its sixth matchday, spent less than €30 million on all their incomings this summer. Combined.

It is, of course, early in the season. The likelihood of these two occupying these spots come matchday 34 is low. But this is no flash in the pan. Union’s 1-0 win in Cologne and Freiburg’s 0-0 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach were both played on Sunday after the clubs punched above their weight to qualify for Europe, meaning both played last Thursday.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Filip Kostic (Eintracht Frankfurt → Juventus)

  Filip Kostic (third from right) has completed a move to Juventus. The Serie A club have announced that the 29-year-old Serbian international has penned a deal through June 2026. Eintracht received €12 million ($12.34 million) for the left winger, who had been a mainstay of Frankfurt’s attack since arriving at the club in 2018. Kostic had 33 goals and 64 assists in his 171 matches for the Eagles.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Timo Werner (Chelsea → RB Leipzig)

  Timo Werner is back at RB Leipzig after an underwhelming two-years at Chelsea. The 26-year-old became Leipzig’s record scorer in his first four-year stint at the club, netting 95 goals in 159 games. But he couldn’t replicate that scoring rate at Chelsea. RB paid a reported €20 million for the Germany international, less than half what the Premier League club had paid for him two seasons ago.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Anthony Modeste (Cologne → Borussia Dortmund)

  After the news of Sebastien Haller’s testicular tumor, Dortmund moved to snap up the French forward from Cologne. The 34-year-old arrives with years of Bundesliga experience. He’s scored 70 goals in 145 games in two spells at Cologne and also played in Germany for Hoffenheim. Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl called him “a perfect fit for the football Edin Terzic wants to play at BVB.”

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus → Bayern Munich)

  Bayern Munich are looking to shore up a leaky defense by signing defender Matthijs de Ligt from Italian record champions Juventus. The 22-year-old Dutch international has agreed a contract through the end of the 2026-27 season. Juventus said they had received € 67 million ($68 million), which cold rise by as much as € 10.0 million based upon performance bonuses.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Robet Lewandowski (Bayern Munich → Barcelona)

  The want-away Poland international finally got his way after weeks of wrangling with the record German champions. Barcelona have said they paid Bayern Munich €45 million euros ($46 million) plus €5 million euros ($5.1 million) in variables for Robert Lewandowski, who scored 344 goals in 375 appearances for Bayern Munich. Lewandowski was voted The Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2020 and 2021.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Sebastien Haller (Ajax → Borussia Dortmund)

  Sebastien Haller is the man Dortmund hope can fill the boots of Erling Haaland. The 28-year-old has signed a four-year contract at BVB, sealing his move from Dutch champions Ajax, for an initial transfer fee of €31 million ($31.5 million). Sadly, shortly after moving to BVB, Haller was found to have a testicular tumor. He has vowed to “come back stronger” after his recovery.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin → Nottingham Forest)

  “The Premier League is my dream,” said Taiwo Awoniyi back in February, and now that dream has come true. After 25 goals in 65 games over the last two seasons for Union Berlin, the Nigerian striker has completed a €20.5m move to newly promoted Premier League side Nottingham Forest, signing a five-year contract at The City Ground.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Mario Götze (PSV Eindhoven → Frankfurt)

  Two years after leaving Borussia Dortmund to join PSV Eindhoven, Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning goalscorer is back in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt. Mario Götze struggled to replicate his Maracana heroics in club football, failing to make an impact at either BVB or Bayern Munich. But after two years in the Netherlands (18 goals in 77 games for PSV), he’s looking to answer his critics.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Sadio Mane (Liverpool → Bayern Munich)

  The signing of Liverpool’s Senegalese star striker is a genuine coup for Bayern Munich – and also for the Bundesliga, a league so used to seeing top players head in the opposition direction to Premier League clubs. For €32m, potentially rising to €41m, the German champions have a player whose goals (120 in 269 appearances for Liverpool) could help replace the departed Robert Lewandowski.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Erling Haaland (BVB → Manchester city)

  After two-and-a-half years in Dortmund, the Norwegian goal machine is taking the inevitable step to the Premier League – to reigning champions Manchester city, where his father Alf Inge once played, for €75m. Having netted an scarcely believable 85 goals in 88 games for BVB, contributing substantially to the German Cup win in 2021, the Black Yellows will have a job on their hands to replace him.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Noussair Mazraoui (Ajax → Bayern Munich)

  In 24-year-old Ajax rightback Mazraoui, Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann has ticked a key name off his summer shopping list. The Dutch-born Moroccan international was part of the Ajax team which won Eredivisie titles in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and is expected to replace Benjamin Pavard, who is likely to move inside from righback to central defense.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax → Bayern Munich)

  Mazraoui’s Ajax teammate Ryan Gravenberch is also on the way to Munich, with the 20-year-old expected to strengthen Bayern’s midfield after signing a five-year deal. “Ryan is a highly interesting, young player who many top European clubs would liked to have signed,” commented Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn – but Gravenberch will have some serious competition for a place in the starting line-up.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Adam Hlozek (Sparta Prague → Leverkusen)

  Still only 19, Adam Hlozek already has four seasons with Sparta Prague under his belt, having become the club’s youngest ever player when he made his debut on 10 November 2018, aged just 16 years, three months and 16 days. Since then, he’s scored 40 goals in 105 games, plus 15 appearances for the Czech national team. Now he’s set to link up with compatriot Patrik Schick at Bayer Leverkusen.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Xaver Schlager (Wolfsburg → RB Leipzig)

  Already an established Bundesliga operator after three seasons with Wolfsburg, bullish Austrian midfielder Schlager has signed a four-year deal with RB Leipzig – against whom he suffered a knee ligament tear back in September, putting him out for most of the season. Having come through the ranks at Red Bull Salzburg, the 24-year-old should fit in at sister club Leipzig.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Alexander Schwolow (Hertha BSC → Schalke)

  After suffering a muscle injury, the 30-year-old goalkeeper missed the end of the season and had to watch from the stands as his Hertha Berlin teammates battled to stay in the Bundesliga via a playoff. Now, after two years in the capital, the former Freiburg stopper could have another relegation battle on his hands with a loan move to newly repromoted Schalke, whose main aim can only be: stay up.

• Bundesliga transfer window 2022 – updates

  Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich → Lyon)

  118 games in five years: not as much as Corentin Tolisso would have hoped at Bayern Munich. The France international was a Bundesliga record signing when he arrived from Olympique Lyon for €41.5m in 2017, but injuries have hindered his progress and prevented him from reaching the standard required in Munich. The 27-year-old’s contract has not been renewed and he’s returned to former club Lyon.

  Author: Matt Ford, Andreas Sten-Ziemons, Chuck Penfold

Union have now played three of last season’s top seven and city rivals Hertha in their opening six league games, winning four and drawing two. The capital city club were promoted three years ago and asked fans to help them rebuild the Stadion An der Alten Försterei as recently as 2008. Now, 14 years later, many of those fans were singing “Spitzenreiter” (league leaders) for the first time ever in the top flight.

The 1-0 win flattered Cologne, with Union dominant after taking the lead through an early own goal. Urs Fischer’s side have a reputation for direct football and organization but the Swiss coach is tactically versatile and his players are able to adapt to the demands of a game without losing their identity as a team. They also offer pace, skill, accountability and leadership.

Fischer and Ruhnert work smart

Urs Fischer has been in charge of Union since 2018

Perhaps the culture of the club is best demonstrated by the case of Max Kruse. As Union moved to the top of the table on Sunday, the man whose goal sent them in to Europe for the first time in 2021 was being publicly told he’ll never play for Wolfsburg again by coach Niko Kovac. Not for the first time in his career, the former Germany international has been criticised for a lack of professionalism. That Union were able to integrate such a maverick in to such a well-drilled team is testament to the work of Fischer and sporting director Oliver Ruhnert.

The pair are among the Bundesliga’s canniest operators. Union, like Freiburg, made a profit in the most recent transfer window, thanks mainly to the sale of top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi to Premier League Nottingham Forest, but have consistently identified undervalued players from elsewhere. Center back Robin Knoche (free from Wolfsburg 2020) and goalkeeper Lennart Grill (loan from Bayer Leverkusen 2022) were among Union’s best performers on Sunday, while Bundesliga top scorer Sheraldo Becker also cost Union nothing.

“I am happy, big compliments to my team,” said Fischer, before referencing Union’s one poor result, a Europa League loss to Union Saint-Gilloise in midweek. “We were ready for the task, we wanted to do better than on Thursday. “

Streich and stablility key at Freiburg

Christian Streich is an animated figure on the touchline

Freiburg’s result on Thursday was better, with early goals from Vincenzo Grifo and Ritsu Doan enough to take them past Qarabag in the same competition. It’s the third time Freiburg have been in Europe in Streich’s 11-year reign, while there’s also been a spell in the second division. But the man who was a player and a youth coach with the club has never wavered in his beliefs.

Just as Fischer and Union’s back office insist on human qualities as much as technical attributes, so it is in the Black Forest, where Streich values humanity and intelligence off the pitch as much as skill and determination on it. That determination was evident on Sunday, when Freiburg rode out an early Gladbach storm to grind out another point that makes it 13 from six games.

“The boys marched for 92 minutes,” said Streich after Sunday’s game. “It’s a fair draw. Even if we think we could have scored one, the way our team performed is great. We have to keep this mentality.”

Recent history suggest they, and Union, will keep the mentality and identity that’s taken them to such lofty heights. With Bayern Munich still unbeaten, RB Leipzig starting well under Marco Rose and Borussia Dortmund with a wealth of talent, staying in the top positions will be challenging. But these two have proved that they don’t fear challenges.

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/union-berlin-and-freiburg-top-bundesliga-with-wisdom-not-wealth/a-63086144?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom