Union Berlin’s Mauro Lustrinelli prepares for mighty Bayern Munich: “We will learn how to ride our bike!”

Union Berlin’s Mauro Lustrinelli prepares for mighty Bayern Munich: “We will learn how to ride our bike!” German football possesses a familiar, slightly sarcastic answer to persistent questions about defensive formations: “Dreierkette, Viererkette, Fahrradkette” — back three, back four, bicycle chain. The expression, and its numerous variations, essentially amounts to a coach dismissing the significance attached to the numbers on a tactical whiteboard. Union Berlin head coach Mauro Lustrinelli did not quite use the phrase himself at his pre-match press conference ahead of Friday evening’s daunting Bundesliga trip to Bayern Munich. He nevertheless came remarkably close. “Back four or back five are just numbers for me,” Lustrinelli said when asked if he had plans to abandon the back four, at the very least off the ball. “What’s important is to deliver a plan to the team that will give them confidence. How can we make it difficult for Bayern? That’s what matters. The result is the result. I just want a good performance from us. That’s the goal for this Friday evening in Munich.” The remark carries considerably more weight given Union’s start to the season. Get German Football News examined the club’s mounting defensive problems last week , with Lustrinelli’s side conceding ten goals through their opening three Bundesliga fixtures. Union have already employed all three possible central defensive pairings involving Leopold Querfeld, Zeno Van Den Bosch, and Felix Uduokhai. The transition away from the back five structures that defined the club for years has naturally invited questions as to whether Lustrinelli might reconsider his approach. The Swiss trainer instead continues to view the problem through the prism of development rather than formation. Lustrinelli insists defensive mistakes remain part of the learning curve “It’s true that we lack the consistent fortitude to defend,” Lustrinelli responded when questioned about his squad’s defensive woes. “But these remain [a collection] of small things. On the other hand, I can say that this team is capable of scoring plenty of goals in the Bundesliga. Twice, we ran up against the fact that – during our home matches [against Frankfurt and Schalke] the opposing keeper was the best player on the pitch.” Union’s defensive numbers provide the obvious source of concern, but Lustrinelli also believes his side have failed to receive the appropriate reward for periods of promising attacking football. “We’ve had some bad luck in attack and are missing the efficiency,” Lustrinelli continued. “Sometimes, we’re committing individual mistakes at the back. Sometimes, it’s a matter of the routine not being established. In my opinion, it’s all part of the developmental process. Unfortunately, it is this way at the moment. I’m nevertheless convinced that, through daily work, we’ll overcome this. It’s merely a question of time.” That explanation fits neatly into the language Lustrinelli has used throughout his opening weeks in Köpenick. Following Union’s 3-3 opening-day draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, GGFN documented the new trainer comparing his work to building a house . Team spirit and mentality formed the foundations. More advanced footballing principles constituted the roof. One, Lustrinelli insisted, could not begin construction with the roof. The walls have not always looked particularly stable since. Yet the coach has seen enough in isolated phases to retain confidence in the project. “Of course, against Bayern that’s an entirely different game,” Lustrinelli said. “One can still see that we can play football. We haven’t managed to do it over the course of 90 minutes yet. Despite that, in the last game [against Schalke] in the second half we were able to play with a certain ease, vitality, and energy on the pitch. We can move forward with some joy [for our football] and that’s the way, no? We’re working on bringing this posture to the pitch.” Union travel to Bayern with ‘nothing to lose’ Friday’s trip to Munich hardly provides the most forgiving environment in which to demonstrate progress. Lustrinelli readily acknowledged the gulf between the two sides. His concern nevertheless remains whether Union can execute their own plan consistently rather than whether a particular tactical formation offers some magic solution against the German record champions. “Plenty of teams head to Munich with various strategies,” Lustrinelli answered when asked to comment on the fact that the fixture remains a complete mismatch on paper. “At the end, Bayern say – irrespective of what your strategy is – we have the quality. It will be difficult. For me, it was a cool challenge to prepare for a team that possesses the ambition to win the Champions League. We don’t have anything to lose. We’ll just try to implement our plan for 90 minutes.” What Lustrinelli wants most is evidence that the work being undertaken on the training pitch can survive the pressure of competitive football. The result itself, remarkably, appears almost secondary to that objective. “We need it [a good performance] in the same way we need [our daily] bread,” Lustrinelli answered when asked what a ‘good performance’ might look like. “We need to experience success. We need a positive feeling that our plan is working. At the same time, we don’t need to be afraid. It might be the case that we don’t win. And we’ll simply move forward from that with a certain resilience.” And then came the bicycle. Having effectively offered his own version of “Dreierkette, Viererkette, Fahrradkette” earlier in the press conference, Lustrinelli returned to two wheels when searching for another metaphor through which to explain Union’s current growing pains. “Like a small two-year-old child who wishes to learn how to ride his bicycle,” Lustrinelli continued. “[The child] must accept that he may fall down and bruise himself. And that can happen again and again. The important thing is not to lose hope and remain resilient. [It’s important] to keep going with confidence in this direction, while you know if you want to ride this bike you have to do everything necessary to accomplish it.” From houses to bicycles, the metaphors have changed. Lustrinelli’s message has not. Union’s new trainer remains convinced that mistakes are an unavoidable component of learning a new way of playing. Ten goals conceded in three Bundesliga matches have not persuaded him to tear up the plans, retreat to the club’s familiar defensive structures, or make the distinction between a back four and back five the central issue. Against Bayern, the training wheels remain off. GGFN  |  Peter Weis