• “I am often asked in the national team how we are successful with a comparatively low budget,” reported SC team captain and German international Christian Gunter.
• The success in Munich tells the story of deep trust between the team and coach as the SC delivered a tactical masterpiece closing Bayern’s midfield powerhouse.
Image: XINHUA
While the Munich arena turned into a party zone with cheering supporters and dancing players of the SC Freiburg, the crowd and TV viewers witnessed Christian Streich at his best.
In an enchanting way, the 57-year-old may be the country’s most pragmatic figure in football. “Well, yes, we shouldn’t make such a big thing about it,” said the longest-serving German national league coach after beating Bayern Munich 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the German Cup.
TV pundits and presenters encouraged him to express his joy. “Yes, it’s nice to win this game, but things go on,” the Freiburg coach replied.
Understatement has been Streich’s characteristic since he took over as head coach in January 2012. He took things calmly in his early years in charge when the club moved in a rollercoaster fashion between the first and second divisions.
Humility accompanied him on the way up, as the club has also developed consistently alongside him. Crossing swords with German giants Bayern, the league’s fourth-placed team not only had a successful 2022-2023 season but also delivered a robust upswing over the past years.
The rollercoaster team has turned into a steady force, regularly appearing on the international stage, such as the Europa League and in the race for a Champions League spot this season.
While Streich may appear calm in public, he demands passion, team spirit, and energised football from his teams. For years, the team, located in the far South-West, has been the most successful development club aside from steadily increasing its quality step-by-step.
Last weekend, when internationals were played, no other club had supplied as many players to various German national teams of all age groups. Eight Freiburg performers slipped into the German shirt.
“I am often asked in the national team how we are successful with a comparatively low budget,” reported SC team captain and German international Christian Gunter.
One of the main reasons for Freiburg’s upswing may be the approach used over many years, such as keeping their feet on the ground and avoiding drastic action both when things go wrong or as good as at present.
Not only is sporting director Klemens Hartenbach talking about “our common idea of football,” but also coach Streich, Hartenbach, and sporting director Jochen Saier act as a tight-knit group since many years aside from a private friendship developed since university times.
No other club has reached a similar level regarding educating young players aside from the special atmosphere attracting established forces.
The success in Munich tells the story of deep trust between the team and coach as the SC delivered a tactical masterpiece closing Bayern’s midfield powerhouse.
“Yes, we are in the race for the top spots in the league, but we can be overtaken. We just fight for it without any turbulence,” said Hartenbach after Freiburg reached the 2023 Cup semifinal after making it into the narrowly lost final against Leipzig in 2022.