Steffen Baumgart lost his first game as coach of Union Berlin, but still recognized positive effects from his first official actions. Baumgart tested a new system in the 1:2 in the XL test over 120 minutes of playing time against league rivals Holstein Kiel: For the first time, the Bundesliga twelfth Union lined up with a four-man defense instead of a three-man defense. “In my opinion, there was a lack of coordination when we conceded the first goal. We haven’t discussed how we want it to be in training yet. That’s my job, we’ll get there relatively quickly,” said Baumgart.
The three-man chain plus two rail players on the wings – that was part of the Union DNA under long-term coach Urs Fischer and also under Baumgart’s dismissed predecessor Bo Svensson. Now the new coach is trying something new. But the Köpenickers don’t have much time to practice; they’re heading to 1.FC Heidenheim next Saturday for the start of the second half of the season. Captain Christopher Trimmel is optimistic that the squad will quickly get used to the innovations. “It’s a different system. How you implement it is important,” explained the 37-year-old team veteran from Austria.