Following Union Berlin’s humiliating 7-0 defeat against Bayern Munich before the international break , head coach Mauro Lustrinelli returned to a metaphor he had previously used to explain his team’s struggles.

The Swiss head coach compared Union’s attempts to implement a new tactical system to a young child learning how to ride a bicycle . At the time, Lustrinelli’s ambitious rebuilding project appeared to be heading nowhere. The Köpenick club had endured a historically poor start to the Bundesliga campaign, conceding 17 goals in their opening four fixtures and finding themselves languishing near the bottom of the table.

The 0-7 defeat in Munich represented the low point of an already difficult transition. Nevertheless, Lustrinelli remained committed to his approach.

“I’m very happy about the coming international break,” Lustrinelli remarked after the Bayern debacle. “It’s very important to get this out of our heads, let the players have some time to themselves, and recharge their batteries.”

“And then we’ll come back and play again because life goes on,” the coach continued. “A couple of days ago, I brought up this metaphor of a small child learning to ride his bike. At the moment, we keep falling to the ground. We need resilience, trust, and courage.”

“For me it’s important not to dwell too long on what didn’t work,” Lustrinelli concluded. “For me, it’s about what I can do to help the team. We have begun the project. We simply carry on. At the moment, there are legitimate questions. We just stick to the path with all our might.”

Three weeks later, Union finally have something tangible to show for their persistence. Saturday afternoon’s 1-0 home victory against promoted SV Elversberg delivered the club’s first three points of the Bundesliga season.

Lustrinelli’s side were hardly spectacular against Vincent Wagner’s promoted Saarland outfit, but there were clear improvements across several areas of their game. Union pressed more effectively, demonstrated greater physical presence in individual duels and, most importantly, defended with considerably more discipline. The visitors managed just seven shots and 0.22 expected goals, while the hosts produced 19 efforts and 1.51 xG.