Christian Streich has had a special relationship with FC Bayern since childhood and is therefore very much looking forward to every duel with the record champions, although his success has been limited so far. In the top match on Saturday, the Freiburg coach wants to “definitely give the league leaders a run for their money”.
“I’ve been playing football for 50 years, every day. Either on the pitch or earlier as a boy and Bayern was always the measure of all things,” Streich looked back on Friday lunchtime, recounting how as a young boy he watched Munich’s European Cup triumphs on his father’s lap on TV in the 1970s. “Those were highlights because not many games came live back then. I still remember scenes from those games because it’s so ingrained. That was Bayern Munich, those were our absolute heroes, Gerd Müller, Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Bulle Roth.”
All his life, he says, the Bayern Munich club has been present. “And now I’ve been allowed to play against them for a few years, I was allowed to play against them many times in the A-youth. And then we even won once in the A-youth and then there were many spectators at the football school. For me, Bayern is not something unimportant in my football life. And playing and fighting against Bayern Munich is something wonderful for me. “
The fond memories won’t leave Streich and his players in awe on Saturday, though. On the contrary. “We definitely want to give them a run for their money, even if it’s only half as big as their Bavarian one. But ours should also be strong and tough. Then we’ll see what comes out. We’re totally going there with joy and I’ve always gone there with joy, even when we weren’t doing so well, because I just love to kick against Bayern, because it’s something special, again and again, again and again. “
Streich is not worried about the attitude of his players
Christian Streich Manager of Bundesliga club SC Freiburg.
With the exception of long-term absentees Jonathan Schmid, Nils Petersen, Roland Sallai and Kimberly Ezekwem, Streich has no personnel worries and, as he does before every game, has consulted intensively with his coaching team on whether to go with the 4-4-2 or the 3-4-3 system that was used at the start of the game in the previous six competitive games, as he did last time against Fürth (3-1). As expected, he did not reveal the decision this time either. Apart from the basic formation, it is more important how each individual professional performs in the Munich Arena and takes on the duels with the top players of the seasoned champions.
Streich is not worried about the attitude of his players ahead of this high-profile and unfamiliar top match for Freiburg, also because of the past: “I was very happy with the attitude we had going to Munich in the last few years. We managed – toi, toi, toi – to make some games very close in Munich after all,” said the 56-year-old, with the three most recent duels in the Bavarian capital foremost in his mind.
Last season, SC lost 2-1 after Nils Petersen narrowly missed an equaliser with a crossbar goal in the closing stages. After the 1:3 on the 33. Spieltag 2019/20, Streich was annoyed for days that his team had not made better use of available spaces and in November 2018, SC’s professionals drew 1-1 thanks to a late goal from Lucas Höler – the only point gained in Munich so far in eight attempts under Streich, who won at least one of a total of 17 duels with FCB as a professional coach: 2-1 at home in May 2015, when Bayern were already champions and SC were relegated a week later despite that sensational win due to a 2-1 defeat in Hannover.
