Recently, with one exception, things have not gone so well for SC Freiburg in terms of results, but Christian Streich can still break his personal half-season record against Leverkusen on Sunday, which will surely come as a surprise to many. After the following booster shot, he gives his players as “long as possible” off.
“It did us good to play to a draw. It was an appropriate, fair result,” Christian Streich said on Friday of the 0-0 draw two days earlier at Union Berlin. Recently, the Freiburg coach and his players had had other, painful experiences with what shone on the scoreboards after the final whistle. The SC lost the games against Frankfurt (0:2) and Hoffenheim (1:2), which were similarly evenly matched as in Köpenick, and were even more unlucky with the result in the clearly superior match in Bochum (1:2).
Despite only four points from six games recently, the Breisgau side are still above target with a total of 26 points and occupy a strong fifth place. Despite the justified anger about the recent missed successes, Streich can also realistically assess the record start with 22 points after ten games without defeat. “You always have to put it in perspective. In Wolfsburg, we didn’t have many chances and fewer than the opponent and won 2:0”, the coach cited a counter-example and says: “After ten games, even though we’ve played well, we could have only had 19 or 20 points. The 26 points now are deserved. But if you have 22 points after ten games, of course you’re not satisfied if you don’t get a point against Frankfurt, Bochum and Hoffenheim. But that’s football, that’s why we’re in the Bundesliga. “
Streich: “Then the world won’t end either “
SC have already scored 26 points twice under Streich at the end of the first leg: 2012/13, when after 25 points in the second half of the season, they finished in 5th place, their best ever placing under the 56-year-old’s management. And in 2019/20, when SC finished eighth after 22 points in the second half of the season. Streich can surpass those marks with just a draw against Leverkusen on Sunday, but he needs a win to set a new personal half-season record. “What I have especially in mind are the 27 points in my first half-year. That was the most intensive half-year in my football life. That wouldn’t have been sustained like that in terms of intensity. You would have managed that for about a year. It was extremely intense for everyone,” said Streich, looking back on his gruelling start, when he took over SC in 18th place with 13 points and led them to an impressive 27 points in the second half of the season, which in the end ensured that they would stay in the league.
“It’s all okay,” says Streich of the current haul: “Now I hope that we have a bit of luck against Leverkusen, work up that luck and get a good result, then it would be great, then I would be very happy. “ And if not? “Then the world won’t come to an end. Then we’d have to see that things just don’t always go on as we dream. “
Collective booster vaccination on Monday
What is already certain regardless of the outcome: After Monday’s collective booster shot, the SC pros don’t have to show up for training again until Sunday, January 2, get a home training schedule for the holidays. “I’ve deliberately given the boys as long off as possible so they can take a breath because they’ve invested a lot, been very disciplined and worked hard. It’s good to get a bit of a break and then get back into the second half of the season in full swing. They’ve earned it and it’s important for the body and the head. “
