Union Berlin have announced that Nenad Bjelica will replace Urs Fischer as their manager following the Swiss’ dismissal early this month.
On why they chose Bjelica, Union president Dirk Zingler said: “In Nenad Bjelica, we were able to win an experienced trainer who has worked successfully in various countries. He has a clear idea of how he wants to lead our team and what kind of football they should play; we entrust him with the task of leading them back to success, I wish Nenad Bjelica and the entire team a good start in working together.”
While Bjelica also commented on his appointment: “Union is a very well-run club in one of the top leagues in Europe. My task is to lead the team out of a difficult phase and bring their strengths back to their strength. I am looking forward to this challenge. I want to see well-organized, active and dominant football and players who are willing to take responsibility. We will work on this together from now on.”
The Croatian has experience managing in Turkey, Italy, Austria and his homeland Croatia. Bjelica was most recently in charge of Trabzonspor before leaving the club in October.
Bjelica will be joined by his assistant Danijel Jumic while Marie-Louise Eta will stay as his other assistant for the foreseeable future.
Union’s first game under new management will be against Braga in the Champions League, which is a must-win if they wish to qualify for the Europa League. Bjelica’s first game in the Bundesliga will be against Bayern Munich next Saturday.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
