Streich prioritizes match (and election) over weekend farewell ceremonies
Round Six of the 2021/22 German Bundesliga shall conclude with a very special farewell.
SC Freiburg's new stadium is finally ready for action. Accordingly, the first team will bid farewell to the beloved "Schwarzwaldstadion" (presently labelled the "Dreisamstadion") after nearly six decades of memories.
Ceremonies are planned, in which two of the Bundesliga's all-time greatest "cult-trainers" (Christian Streich and Volker Finke) shall take part.
For Streich, there are actually two matters that take precedence over all the pomp and circumstance.
SC Freiburg's new stadium is finally ready for action. Accordingly, the first team will bid farewell to the beloved "Schwarzwaldstadion" (presently labelled the "Dreisamstadion") after nearly six decades of memories.
Ceremonies are planned, in which two of the Bundesliga's all-time greatest "cult-trainers" (Christian Streich and Volker Finke) shall take part.
For Streich, there are actually two matters that take precedence over all the pomp and circumstance.
The live fans might also get a chance to witness history. Their Breisgauer enter the match against Augsburg unbeaten in six straight home fixtures; a streak that dates back to round 26 of last year. The SC could set a new club record by drawing or beating the FCA as a farewell gift.
For Streich, the focus remains on simply winning the match.
"We have to maintain our focus," the "cult-trainer" told German footballing magazine Kicker, "There will be many anecdotes raised, many people there who helped shape the club. There shall be quite a bit of nostalgia for fully understandable reasons. At the same time, we have a Bundesliga match against Augsburg."
When speaking to the German press this week, Streich tried to steer the topic back to the current form of his team. Addressing last week's rather languid 0-0 draw with Mainz, the SCF head-coach spoke of passing and positional play that was "not precise enough". The novel top axis attacking trident fell short of Streich's expectations and he hinted at a very different tactical set-up.
In various public statements this week, Streich made clear that his message to the players amid all of the special plans at the stadium this weekend centered around "a mature and emotionally balanced performance." Streich also told journalists that he made sure that all of his German players got in their votes for Sunday's federal election by absentee ballots.
"We all remembered to get our votes in," Streich said, "Because every vote cast in a democracy is a vote won, no matter who it is cast for."
