New Union Berlin head coach Mauro Lustrinelli found plenty to appreciate in his side’s mentality despite several costly defensive mistakes in Saturday’s 3-3 Bundesliga draw with Eintracht Frankfurt. Union twice found themselves punished severely for individual errors as Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib completed a hat-trick at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
For Lustrinelli, however, the mistakes also highlighted the transitional work currently underway as the Köpenick club adapts from the back-five structures employed for years to a new four-man defensive line. The Swiss-Italian trainer was particularly encouraged by the response of Leopold Querfeld. The Austrian defender recovered from an early mistake, grew increasingly influential as the match progressed and eventually helped complete Union’s comeback with a goal of his own.
That resilience neatly illustrated what Lustrinelli considers the first building block of his Union project. The 50-year-old made clear that tactical principles and stylistic refinements remain secondary for the moment. Team spirit, mentality and collective commitment form the foundation upon which everything else must eventually be constructed.
Lustrinelli on Union’s defensive “growing pains”“Things like this happen,” Lustrinelli answered in response to the first question about the Union defensive errors. “It’s not as if we’re allowing ten chances through on goal. Eintracht scored three goals off of four [quality] chances. That’s the more decisive point. We’re also playing with a back-four. Union is accustomed to playing with a back-five for a very long time. It’s a process. We’re aware of it, of course. We’ll work on remaining more compact.”
Lustrinelli praises Querfeld’s response“These things happen,” Lustrinelli reiterated when asked about Leopold Querfeld’s redemption arc by Kit Holden. “I think you witnessed the strength of a man. [After his earlier mistake], he improved with every action. During the half-time break, I could tell that he was really focused. He ended up rewarding himself. Something like that can only happen when one maintains positive thoughts. One can fall right out of the game after something like that occurs.
“And that didn’t prove to be the case,” Lustrinelli continued. “He remained in the game. He won almost every aerial duel. That gave him confidence and he was able to make it worthwhile with that goal and I’m happy for him. He pulled himself out of that situation and the team was very supportive of him. After this mistake, many members of our team went up to him and told him to keep at it. That, for me, was one of the nicer aspects of the day.”
Lustrinelli on the Union “construction project”“For me personally, it’s not about wanting to play a certain type of football,” Lustrinelli said when Christoph Biermann asked him if he saw the type of football he envisioned for Union. “For me, the basis is that we have a team on the pitch, a team that plays with spirit and passion. We have that. We have that at a decent level and we demonstrated that today. In terms of play, we have a lot to improve upon in all areas.
“But that will come,” Lustrinelli continued. “It will come because we have a team that’s fundamentally solid. It’s like building a house. One has to start with the foundation. One cannot start with the roof. In our case, the roof is the [full]game principles. [The foundation] is the team spirit and the team’s mentality. Now we’ll erect the side walls and we’ll eventually get to the roof.”
The entire press corps and Union press operator Christian Arbeit seemed quite impressed with Lustrinelli’s metaphor, even if the Swiss-Italian trainer seemed to second-guess his own choice of German words.
“Please, no more questions about construction,” the 50-year-old managed to sneak in after responding.
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