Union Berlin’s Steffen Baumgart defends back-four and explains Yorbe Vertessen benching | OneFootball

A 2-0 loss against FC Augsburg last night saw 1. FC Union Berlin wrap up the 2024/25 Bundesliga Hinrunde in 13th-place on 17 points. The position and points haul may not seem that bad, but the Eisernen could very well see three points taken from them administratively if a DFB ruling over a potential match forfeit against Bochum from matchday 14 is upheld.

The decision of managing director Horst Heldt to sack trainer Bo Svensson during the Winter break plunged the team into an identity crisis. The newly-appointed coaching regime of Steffen Baumgart remains in the nascent phases. Hope for a turnaround nevertheless remains scarce. In two Bundesliga fixtures and one friendly, Baumgart’s new back-four has looked especially weak.

In his public comments since last night’s loss, Baumgart remained emphatic that he would not drop his new tactical set-up. For their part, team leaders Christopher Trimmel (the official captain) and midfield general Rani Khedira (the default skipper for most matches) insisted that the system wasn’t to blame for the latest string of poor results.

“It doesn’t count worth a damn if we defend with four or five on paper,” Khedira told the Sky Germany mics last night. “That would be a cheap excuse as one plays football in accordance with principles and not a system.

“We knew what was coming and still didn’t defend well,” Khedira continued. “In principle, everything has to get better. If you concede two goals and don’t score any, it’s a simple calculation.

“The year 2024 has been a difficult one,” Trimmel added. “We’ve had a lot of coaches and a lot has happened. In the final analysis, it’s up to us players.

“I have decided on a system,” Baumgart said at the post-match presser. “From my point-of-view, this is unrelated to the goals conceded.

“I’m sticking with the back-four and will see it through,” Baumgart continued, “I‘m not going to make a U-turn after two games that didn’t go so well.“

Baumgart ended up arriving somewhat late at the presser as he opted to spend some additional time holding an extended meeting with his team in the locker room. In the mixed zone, striker Benedict Hollerbach revealed that the gaffer told the squad to keep believing in themselves and “not mope” over results now firmly in the past.

As to whether there can exist some hope that the top-flight capital city side can improve on both sides of the ball, the quest for more attacking assistance seems exacerbated by the fact that Baumgart unexpectedly left the roster’s most expensive striker out of the match-day squad last night. Belgian Yorbe Vertessen – together with Hollerbach valued at €6m – had to watch from the stands.

“I expect players such as him to deliver every day [in training],” Baumgart explained at the press conference. “He has every opportunity to work his way back.

“I hope the conversation was clear enough to outline my expectations,” Baumgart concluded.

GGFN | Peter Weis