Union Berlin had a wild ride in the coaching box last season, with Steffen Baumgart getting the boot in April after a brutal run of just two wins in 14 matches. That led to the biggest storyline in German football for a minute: Marie-Louise Eta stepped up and became the first woman to manage a men’s team in one of Europe’s top five leagues. She had a tough start, no wins in her first three, but rallied to secure victories in her final two games to push Union to an 11th-place finish. Now, Mauro Lustrinelli is taking the reins, fresh off guiding FC Thun to their first-ever Swiss Super League title.
New Gaffer, New Problems: Pre-Season Wasn’t a Warm Welcome
Lustrinelli’s arrival has been anything but smooth sailing. Pre-season was a true baptism of fire, with Union only grabbing two wins in nine friendly matches. The new head coach was trying to get his ideas across, but the results weren’t exactly screaming “championship contender.” Their two victories came against fifth-tier Rathenow, a 12-2 shellacking, and Cypriot side Aris Limassol, a tighter 3-2 win. Beyond that, it was a struggle.
They lost four times: 0-2 against Carl Zeiss Jena, 1-2 to FC Aarau, another 1-2 to Dynamo Dresden, and a concerning 2-4 defeat against Ipswich Town. Draws against Cagliari, Winterthur, and Chemnitzer FC rounded out the less-than-stellar pre-season. Before the Bundesliga kicked off, they did have the DFB-Pokal first round, and Lustrinelli’s crew showed some fight, coming from behind twice to beat Eintracht Braunschweig 4-2. Tom Rothe leveled it at 2-2 in the second half, and Marin Ljubičić bagged a brace to secure the win in Lustrinelli’s first competitive game. That’s a good sign, but those friendlies were rough.
Defensive Exodus and Strategic Spending
Talk about a gut punch to the squad! Union lost their two main central defenders, Danilho Doekhi and Diogo Leite, both on free transfers. That’s gotta sting the club’s brass big time, considering how crucial those guys were. Alex Kral also walked away on a free, and László Bénes and Chris Bedia left on permanent deals. Plus, forward Ilyas Ansah might be heading to the Premier League for a big-money move. That’s a lot of talent walking out the door!
To try and patch things up, Union’s main focus was rebuilding the defense. They converted Stanley Nsoki’s loan into a permanent deal for €1.5 million. Former defender Marvin Friedrich returned, Zeno Van Den Bosch arrived on a free, and Felix Uduokhai joined from Besiktas for a reported six-figure fee. Midfielder Michael Aebischer came from Pisa, and forward Emmanuel Latte Lath is in on loan from Atlanta United. What’s interesting is the club is reportedly pouring most of its resources into stadium and infrastructure upgrades this summer, not “significant investments” in the playing squad. It seems like the long game is in play, but can the team hold up this season with a predicted 4-2-2-2 lineup of Raab; Juranović, Querfeld, Van Den Bosch, Rothe; Kemlein, Khedira; Jeong, Burcu; Latte Lath, Ljubičić?
So, the Bundesliga season is officially underway, and Union has that DFB-Pokal win under their belt. But with such a tough pre-season, key defensive losses, and a focus on infrastructure over big player spends, everyone will be watching to see if Lustrinelli can weave his magic again and get this team moving after a wild year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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