Union Berlin succumbed to a 5-1 rout at home to Bayern Munich. The defeat left Union precariously above the Bundesliga relegation zone with just four games left of the season.
After the game, Union Head Coach, Nenad Bjelica took the blame for the defeat.
We tried something new
“I’m quite satisfied with the first half. We had our counter-attacking chances. In the first half I saw a lot of commitment and good tactical discipline. That was perfect.
“Up to their first goal, Bayern didn’t have a chance to score but you have to use your own chances against Bayern if you want to win.
“In the second half, we tried something new and changed things but Bayern made it 3-0 with their first chance. That was the end for my team.”
“We wanted to put more pressure on them. We have a ten-minute blackout where we concede two more goals after being 3-0 down. That’s on me.
“It went wrong, that’s my fault. The team doesn’t have to feel guilty about that. We will build them up.
“We were tactically disciplined and dangerous and had the first chances to take the lead. If we deliver the performance from the first half in the last four games, we will stay in the league.”
We fell apart
Union striker, Kevin Volland was less positive about the defeat and admitted that his side were naive.
“We completely fall apart in the second half, that can’t happen to us. The defeat is well deserved. We didn’t start well at the front and were too deep at the back. It was something in between that a team like Bayern takes advantage of.
“Such a setback sharpens the senses even more. We have very important games now and we have to do something. It’s still up to us.”
Union Berlin defender, Robin Gosens was equally honest in his assessment of their performance.
“We played a good first half in terms of our commitment. We started the game well and had our dangerous moments. In the second half, we wanted to put more pressure on them again.
“We wanted to use Heidenheim as an example. However, we conceded the third goal quite quickly and I didn’t like the way our team reacted at all – we crumbled. That’s not good and not like Union Berlin.”
The size of the defeat may be unfamiliar to Union Berlin but with just one goal scored in the last four games and just one win since mid-February, Union will have to find a new way to turn around their form.
