- Coach Schuster is showing off his "relaxed" attitude before the start of the game against Freiburg.
For the first time in two and a half years, a new head coach will be sitting on the bench for the SC Freiburg in a competitive match this weekend. However, the first round game in the DFB-Pokal against third-tier side VfL Osnabrück on Saturday (3:15 PM/Sky) is unlikely to be a true test for Julian Schuster - the first two Bundesliga games against VfB Stuttgart and FC Bayern Munich will be a better indicator.
"I'm surprised at how relaxed I am," said the successor to cult coach Christian Streich before his debut. Coach and team have found each other well, everyone has accepted the changes well. "If I had imagined it before, I would have painted it like this," explained the 39-year-old.
In principle, he is approaching his first head coaching role with great optimism, which differs from Streich, who was more of a pragmatic pessimist. Schuster's work with the team is still based on that of his predecessor, under whom he also played and worked as a bridge coach between youth and professionals for six years.
Schuster wants to play more offensively
The squad has largely remained the same, with only Yannik Keitel (VfB Stuttgart) leaving the club. Schuster has made a few adjustments in training and the playing system. He wants to press higher in certain situations and play more offensively and creatively overall, even if it means being more vulnerable to counter-attacks - as seen in friendly matches.
"Initially, we might have a phase of finding our feet," says SC Freiburg captain Christian Günter. However, the players can fully identify with the changes "because they suit our strengths."
The new head coach's lack of experience, his relatively young age, and the fact that he used to play with some of his current players does not matter to the professionals. "He has a fundamental authority," says new signing Patrick Osterhage. "It radiates from him that he wants to convey content. He talks a lot with us about details, and I'm convinced that he makes players better."
During the preparations, Schuster was seen joking with the players, hugging them, but also being clear and critical when something displeases him. The "key word" for him regarding the team is "together." Like Streich, he demands this vehemently: "It's absolutely the basic prerequisite, no matter what we do, we do it together."
Freiburg faces "absolute physicality" in the Pokal
"I know that we need to give ourselves time, and that I also need to give myself time," explains the coaching novice. However, the squad has already proven that it is capable of playing a good role in the Bundesliga. First, though, the SC needs to overcome the first hurdle of Osnabrück. "You wouldn't wish for such an opponent and such a stadium in the first round," says Schuster. Osnabrück is characterized by "absolute physicality."
The Freiburg team is already warned about the Lower Saxons. In the 2021/22 season, they only managed to beat Osnabrück in the second round of the Pokal in a penalty shootout at the tight stadium on the Bremen Bridge. Osnabrück was also in the 3. Liga at that time.
"It's good that many players have this experience, we don't have to warn them," says Schuster. After that, the SC even made it to the Pokal final, but lost to RB Leipzig in a penalty shootout.
In preparation for their DFB-Pokal match against VfL Osnabrück, Julian Schuster, the new head coach of SC Freiburg, acknowledged the physical challenge they will face, referring to Osnabrück's "absolute physicality." Previously, Freiburg had narrowly defeated Osnabrück in a penalty shootout during the 2021/22 Pokal season, a match that Schuster recalled.
