From the brink of bankruptcy…
to European football. Everyone loves an underdog.
“Kruuuuse. And Union are going into continental competition.”
Think of Leicester City in 2016.
“The amazing Leicester City.”
Or Greece at the 2004 Euros.
“It’s over. It is over. Greece are champions of Europe."
How do underdogs manage to overcome the odds?
What is the secret to the “Art of Overachieving”?
Well, I reckon the best example can be found here - at Union Berlin.
This is how Union Berlin went from NEVER playing in Germany’s top flight,
to qualifying for the Europa League, in just three seasons.
First up, let’s take a look at the obvious road blocks hampering smaller clubs:
They don’t have a lot of money to spend on transfers. And they need to enforce strict salary caps.
Which of course hampers recruitment, which in turn limits their ability to implement certain tactics.
So they have to play the game smarter, both on and off the pitch, in order to break through those barriers.
And Union, the small club from Berlin’s east? Well, they offer the perfect blueprint.
In 2019, they were promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever.
“Say hello to the new kids on the Bundesliga block”
In 2020, they finished 11th, when most pundits and bookies had them finishing rock bottom.
In 2021, tipped for relegation again. But they finished 7th, and nabbed a spot in the European Conference League.
And 2022? Well somehow, they finished 5th, just one point off Champions League qualification.
“Still Awoniyiii. He’s got it. He’s got it.”
In these days of rampant over-spending in football, Union have mastered the “Art of Overachieving”.
How? Through a united front, transfer wizardry, dressing room chemistry, and a tactical masterplan.
Union is like a family…
Yeah yeah, I know it’s a well-worn trope when describing smaller clubs, but in this case it actually rings true.
The club is nestled in Köpenick, a leafy suburb of east Berlin. And Union have always stuck close to their roots.
Lifelong fan Dirk Zingler has been president since 2004.
Board members, coaches, media officers, ball kids… you name it - many of them have a strong connection to Köpenick.
“They come from this region. They're rooted here. They have a relationship to the club which goes beyond employer-employee.”
Zingler has been key to promoting that bond to the region.
He’s created a united front, which has allowed Union to overachieve.
The family structure allows newcomers to feel immediately at home.
“This remains a community club in a lot of ways.
And I think it makes it easier for players coming in to integrate quickly and feel comfortable here.”
At the turn of the century, it seemed Union were constantly on the brink of financial ruin.
But under Zingler’s guidance, they slowly established themselves as a solid second division club.
And about five years ago, they embarked on an ambitious plan to climb further up the ranks.
In came Oliver Ruhnert, first as a scout and then as sporting director.
A year later came coach Urs Fischer, totally unknown in Germany
but a league and cup winner with FC Basel in his homeland Switzerland.
The duo transformed the club.
Promotion to the Bundesliga was surprisingly achieved in Fischer’s first season.
And was quickly followed by the miracle ascendency into Europe.
Kit Holden’s book “Scheisse, We’re Going Up” documents Union’s rise from humble beginnings.
And he doesn’t think the journey is over just quite yet.
“I think, to be honest, the sky is the limit.
I don't think anybody has set this club a maximum goal that they can achieve.
And I think that's part of what's driven the success is that they've been fearless.”
Zingler has been at the forefront of that fearlessness.
But he knows the heart of Union will always be Köpenick and the fans.
Most German clubs have strong connections with their fanbase.
That’s thanks to the unique 50+1 ownership model.
But at Union, it seems to run deeper.
They claim to prioritise the match-going fan like no other club.
Which is yet another important factor in the "Art of Overachieving" – a strong connection to your fanbase.
It is another cliche, but Union’s connection to their fanbase is something special.
Just ask anyone who’s been to the Alte Försterei.
They’d have to be pretty miserable to claim THIS isn’t an incredible match-day experience.
From my first game here back in 2014 to now, the atmosphere has always been electric.
Win or lose, the support in the stands remains the same.
Booing the team or an individual player is a massive faux pa.
That’s reserved purely for the opposition.
These fans renovated their own stadium when there was no money for the upgrade.
And they donated blood to help save the club from going bankrupt.
It’s simply different at Union.
During the corona pandemic, when crowds were banned from matches,
they controversially stood outside the stadium to cheer on their team.
They’re a little bit mad.
Relegation wouldn’t put these fans offside. Even two relegations.
They only truly care about one thing - keeping Union as authentic as possible.
Some might label that unambitious.
Unioners couldn’t care less.
As long as the team gives everything on the pitch,
and club management listens to their concerns,
everything else is just a bonus.
And that means the players can concentrate on their performances without fear of facing irate fans in the stands.
“There's a lot of emotion there,
even from players who were only there for two years and didn't have any history with Berlin or Union before.
They’ve forged these strong bonds with the fanbase
and I think other players do see that and see it as something that makes this club as a place where they want to go.”
With this unconditional support, it gives Union a vital edge when it comes to overachieving in the transfer market…
Not many clubs with small budgets can target top-quality footballers.
But Union’s unique pull has allowed them to attract a special breed of player.
In their first season in the top division, Union were able to sign
former Bundesliga champions Neven Subotic and Christian Gentner on free transfers.
Sporting director Oliver Ruhnert has worked his magic elsewhere, too.
He lured in former Germany international Max Kruse.
And the exceptionally talented playmaker proved a major coup for the club.
Ruhnert also found rough diamonds for cheap in the lower leagues.
While smart loan deals, such as Taiwo Awoniyi from Liverpool, proved masterstrokes.
“I think he's always tried to … think outside the box a little bit
and look at players and maybe at clubs and maybe at leagues
where where other people aren't necessarily looking
while also retaining a kind of a very clear profile of what kind of player suits Union.
Ability is of course important, but so too commitment, work ethic, and character.
For Robin Knoche, Union’s plan for progression was a big selling point.
Of course, like all small clubs, Union still lose their best players to bigger wages.
Awoniyi, Kruse, and Grischa Prömel are the latest stars to leave.
But Ruhnert has shown a knack for constantly finding ready-made replacements.
So with Ruhnert’s signings, how has Fischer managed to make it work ON the pitch.
Underdogs are usually limited in how they can play football. A more pragmatic approach is often necessary.
Fischer certainly does rely on hard work and discipline, but also pedantic planning.
“Fisher is very, very clear about the roles that the team has and the way the team is playing.
And there is a very clear philosophy there, a very clear strategy.”
In the early days, Fischer focused on defense first. And used Sebastian Andersson as a target man in a 4-3-3 formation.
Christopher Trimmel was turned into a dead-ball specialist, to give Union an edge on set pieces.
Yet Fischer has gradually added new dimensions, and transitioned his team to a more expansive 3-5-2 formation.
“Fischer has continued to develop the team
and make them into more of an attacking team, more of a dynamic team.
With always the ability to revert when results aren’t going their way.”
With his best players constantly poached, Fischer has adapted.
When Andersson left, he took the chance to free up Union’s attack.
Max Kruse provided the creativity, while Taiwo Awoniyi injected much-needed pace alongside Sheraldo Becker.
Fischer ditched traditional wingers and now relies on marauding wing backs to provide width.
As seen here with Trimmel, one of them often drifts into the box to create an overload.
It’s been an effective tool for Union.
In the dark blue shirts this time, Union also utilize fast transitions to catch out the opposition on the counter attack.
And while they don’t use an all-out pressing system, they do try to force turnovers in dangerous positions.
And in defence, Union are physically strong both on the ground and in the air.
That’s made Union incredibly difficult to beat and frustrating to play against.
While they’ve also shown that they can turn it on in attack.
Demanding? 100 percent. But Union are seeing the fruits of their labour.
Fischer will constantly have to reinvent Union thanks to that high squad turnover.
The club has signed more than 30 players across the last two years.
But because they target a player’s character, as well as their ability,
and because of that existing family structure...
Union have fostered another key ingredient that is crucial in the “Art of Overachieving”.
Team morale can provide smaller clubs with an extra lift in a bid to punch above their weight.
Without a sense of unity on the pitch, overachieving is basically impossible.
And yeah, a lot of clubs can say that. But seriously, this team fights until the very end.
That’s how they’ve managed to defeat bigger teams such as Dortmund, twice,
RB Leipzig and Gladbach, three times each, and Leverkusen.
That team spirit is also down to the influence of Urs Fischer.
He may be calm and down to earth, but he also has very clear expectations.
So that’s the secret to overachieving. Other clubs, take notice.
If Ruhnert and Fischer continue to excel both on and off the field, there should be more to come.
And the club’s family culture will always ensure everyone stays humble and keeps their feet firmly on the ground.
Their main ambition is simply to just stay in the Bundesliga.
Those modest goals are probably also responsible for Union’s ability to fly under the radar and overachieve.
The club is certainly trying to find a balance between progress and staying true to its core values.
And perhaps those values are what will send Union, one day, to the Champions League.
“That’s not impossible. The stability that the club has at the moment,
the upward curve that it's been on for the last few years, means that there's an ever growing optimism here.
And an ever growing sense that why not?”
A monumental step up, but you wouldn’t put it past them.
Their blueprint to overachieve is simply too impressive.
And after all at Union…