Berlin (Germany), Oct 18 (IANS): Behind some of the football fairy-tale-like stories, one at times can discover dry figures. The FC Union Berlin might be one of these examples, as the Berlin side is safely riding the wave as the German leagues' top dog after one-third of the season.
The team of Swiss coach Urs Fischer might not be mentioned among football artists but determines the pace of the Bundesliga when it comes to running figures, defensive organization, effectiveness, and passion.
The first comparisons pop up, reminding fans of league newcomer FC Kaiserslautern, which took the title in 1998 as a surprise, followed by the Premier League sensation delivered by underdog Leicester City in 2016.
The German league's highest running figures (119 kilometres per game) next to the lowest number of conceived goals (six) come along for Union with under 30 percent of ball possession and an almost ludicrous passing rate of way beyond 70 percent.
The amazing mixture nevertheless makes the side one of the favourites to win the 2022/23 national title, counting on raid-like attacks, reports Xinhua.
"They have what makes a leading team. Everyone knows what to do and no one can stop them," Dortmund coach Edin Terzic complained after a painful but well-deserved 2-0 defeat.
Compliments from the league rivals are dropping in like warm spring rain. Freiburg coach Christian Streich calls Union "the best-organized defense of the league."
Bayern's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and coach Julian Nagelsmann talk in glowing terms of "one of the league-leading teams."
Nagelsmann mentioned "how well they get along with the burden of all competitions," including the Euro League.
After Union only lost one out of ten league games, Streich drew an apocalyptic picture saying: "When they score the league things are close to done."
Currently standing seven points ahead of Dortmund and four of Bayern doesn't mean the unconventional side can start title celebrations already.
It takes more to kick the can down the road over 34 rounds of matches. Fischer is convinced as the 56-year-old keeps on talking about the season goal of 40 points keeping the team off relegation spots.
The coach's understatement is part of the strategy. While the Swiss manager admits to at present live a dream, he seems amused when asked about the silverware ahead.
The Swiss regards himself as the natural counterpart to the clubs' fan chanting of Union as the 2022/23 champion.
The uniqueness of the season, for the first time interrupted by a World Cup tournament, might as well help the star-less team to refill energy stocks to be prepared for the finish next year.
"We might enjoy the moment but then focus on the next game as we always need to meet our performance borders to survive," Fischer said.
As it seems, the Union coach intends to continue creating fairy tales only when they rest on dry figures.