Three goals, two assists, lots of confidence: Niko Gießelmann (30) is on field duty at 1. FC Union and yet he is right in the thick of things. Despite eighth place, he still sees room for improvement with the team.
In his first season in Berlin, Gießelmann, who arrived free of charge from Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2020, was more of a peripheral figure. He only made 13 league appearances, nine of which were substitute appearances. Now, in his second year at Union, he is the main man – and he is turning up the heat. With five scorer points after eleven matchdays, the left-back with offensive drive has a remarkable interim record and is currently the second best Union scorer in the Bundesliga after goal scorer Taiwo Awoniyi, who has seven league goals. On Tuesday, Gießelmann spoke to the media about…
..the late goals conceded in Cologne and Stuttgart: “Strength – or lack of strength – doesn’t matter there. We had a good mentality in all games and a run of almost 122 kilometres in Cologne. That shows that we are fit. The late goals we conceded were annoying, but had nothing to do with our triple load.”
..the league break because of the internationals: “I’m happy about it, even if I’d rather play than train. It’s been three and a half weeks with seven games now. Playing every third day is exhausting. But we have a good squad that has coped with it. We were able to invest 100 per cent in every game. After such a high workload, you’re glad to be able to slow down a bit and regenerate. “
..Union’s first third of the season: “We can be satisfied. In the DFB Cup and in the league we made a good to very good impression. If we had won in Cologne on Sunday, we would have been fourth. It’s crazy to be in such a good position. Everything is still possible in the Conference League, even if it has become difficult due to the avoidable defeat against Feyenoord Rotterdam. The competition hasn’t gone optimally so far. But if we play Haifa like we did in the first leg, we can win there. And then everything is possible in the last game.”
..the closeness to the Champions League places: “I didn’t think about that. It’s a dream, of course, and will probably always be a dream. We have to look where we are coming from. Our goal is to have a good season and play Bundesliga next season.”
..Room for improvement: “We are a team that plays very well organised and disciplined and defends very well. We’re in a very good position there. But I don’t think we’re at our limit. One thing that has been going on throughout the season is that we play second balls and counter-attacking situations badly, like in the game in Cologne. We were too sloppy there. And also in our own possession phases, we were b…Union’s team spirit: “We are a united team, we get on well, one fights for the other. You’re allowed to make mistakes and you know that they’re usually corrected by your team-mates. We run for each other and give 100 per cent every game. The mentality is great, that’s what distinguishes the club and us players. The team is well put together according to character. Everyone knows what they have to do here.”
..his record with three goals in the season: “I put that down to the fact that in our system – with a three-man or five-man backline – I am a bit more offensively oriented and that we often have breakthroughs on the outside. We outside players are supposed to be part of that. It always takes a bit of luck. But the opponents’ defenders don’t have you on their radar because you tend to come from the back and from the second post. I get into finishing situations more often than in a back four. And in my youth I played more often in the forward line or in attacking midfield, and in my early days at Greuther Fürth I also played more often in left midfield. So I probably still have a bit of striker’s blood in me. That’s coming up a bit right now. I feel very good, I have self-confidence, I’m fit and I’m just at the best age for football. Maybe I stand out a bit more than usual with my statistics of goals and assists. But I’ve already delivered good games the last few years.”
..his difficult first Union year: “I also performed well in preparation last season. The coach then decided on Lenzi. He then showed good performances. So it’s normal that the coach doesn’t change much. Of course, it was difficult for me to accept that. I was not satisfied. But it was my goal to establish myself here. I am an experienced player and can give the team a lot. The system we play is not that different from the one we played in the previous season, but we get more into switching moments, so that we outside players get into dangerous situations more often. That suits me and fits my style of play quite well. I’m currently getting the trust of the coaching team and I’m paying it back. “We also need more calmness on the ball and more movement with the ball. We are not good enough there yet. That was partly better last season, when we had a higher share of possession. We have to work on that, we still have some catching up to do. “
..his development under coach Urs Fischer: “My game has definitely changed. But that’s also because I wasn’t so often so offensively oriented in a five-man backline before. I fill that position quite well in the offensive area, I’ve developed offensively and defensively. And you develop a feeling for which spaces you are in. You’re alone on the side, you don’t have a player in front of you, you have a bit more space and you have to do a bit more running. You get used to that. It’s about reading the game so that you realise when you can go forward. You always have to look at what’s happening with the rest of the defence and that you don’t have an opponent at your back who’s free. That comes first. But when you have the space, you have to make the runs forward. Our back three does a good job of protecting us there by pushing to the side.”
..the derby against Hertha in eleven days: “I have played a few derbies with Fürth and Düsseldorf. They always remain special, no matter how many you’ve played. This will be my first Berlin derby in front of spectators. It’s something different than without spectators. I’m really looking forward to it. They are hot, we are hot, well prepared and want to win in front of our own crowd. The fans always come up with something. You can tell it’s something special. The most important thing is that everything is fair. Then it’s okay to bang on the pitch, that’s part of it.”
..the absence of Max Kruse: “He’s been out the last few games, which is a shame for us. I hope he will be back as soon as possible. But you saw that even without Max we can be very dangerous and score our goals. “
..his future: “We will see how it goes on. I’m sure there will be one or two more talks. But of course I can imagine staying longer. “
