The game planners could hardly have made the debut for the new Union coach Nenad Bjelica much more difficult. First the tricky journey to the Champions League game against top Portuguese team SC Braga on Wednesday, then the mostly thankless Bundesliga guest appearance at FC Bayern Munich. But before his debut on the Berlin bench, Bjelica naturally says what coaches say: “We want to play these games successfully and possibly win. And that’s how every game will be. That’s why I think it was the right time to get involved now.”
While the 52-year-old is currently working hard to get Köpenick back on the road to success, the magazine “Sport Bild” reported on Wednesday about two secret clauses in the Croatian’s contract, which was originally dated until 2025. This should include a non-relegation bonus of 100,000 euros, and the working paper will automatically be extended for another year if the team successfully stays in the league.
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Union coach Bjelica wants to “build the team psychologically”
“We certainly don’t have much time to make any major changes until Wednesday and Saturday,” said the nine-time Croatia international about the tasks ahead, “but I’ll get an idea of the team. What the team has, what the team can do.” After almost 100 days of suffering, the capital club’s hope of overwintering in internationalbusiness is once again glimmering. With a win in Braga, Union can keep the chance of continuing in the Europa League in the spring.
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For what is still the weakest team in the European top 5 leagues (for statistics), it would be the first complete success since August 26th with a 4-1 win at Darmstadt 98 on the second Bundesliga matchday, which the Berliners finished as leaders. Three months later, the Berliners are longing for the end of the sadness with a total of 15 competitive games without a win. Winning a point in the 1-1 draw against FC Augsburg last Saturday gave the players a little confidence back, even if the hoped-for victory failed to materialize again.
Despite the short time until the game in northern Portugal, Bjelica, a former Bundesliga player for 1. FC Kaiserslautern, wants to boost the players mentally again: “We want to try to build up the team psychologically and the self-confidence that is gone.” Fear, with According to his own statement, Bjelica, who was under contract with Trabzonspor in the Turkish first league until October, does not have two defeats to go into his new commitment.
In Braga, however, the coach will have to do without defender Danilho Doekhi and attacker Sheraldo Becker. Becker’s loss in particular hurts, as the attacker scored both Berlin goals in the first leg to give Berlin a 2-0 lead. In the end, Union lost 3-2 with a goal in stoppage time, their sixth defeat in a row.
