Baumgart’s Tactical Brilliance Fuels Union Berlin’s Success

Steffen Baumgart, the head coach of Union Berlin, is currently demonstrating an undeniable ‘Midas Touch.’ Upon returning from the Bundesliga winter break, Baumgart has successfully maintained an impressive streak since the start of 2025, particularly in his ability to make impactful substitutions that lead to goals.

In a remarkable 3-1 victory against RB Leipzig on matchday 14, Baumgart’s substitutions — Christopher Trimmel (who provided an assist), Andrej Ilic (also an assist), and Tim Skarke (who scored a goal) — transformed a 1-1 deadlock with the favored visitors into a stunning upset. Following that, a late introduction of Andras Schäfer contributed to a narrow 1-0 away win on matchday 15.

This past weekend, Baumgart’s substitutions of Woo Yeong-Jeong and Marin Ljubicic allowed Union to secure a draw against Mainz 05 in matchday 16. The consistency of these successful substitutions suggests that luck and coincidence play a diminished role in these outcomes.

While luck is always a factor in football, it is noteworthy that Skarke, Jeong, Schäfer, and Ljubicic each scored their first goals of the season in the last three matches. Jeong and Ljubicic, previously regarded as significant transfer flops due to poor performances in the last two seasons, have now redeemed themselves somewhat. Skarke and Schäfer have been limited to just two starts each this season, while Jeong had a longer opportunity to prove himself but was benched after four consecutive matches. Ljubicic, who was somewhat fortunate to be credited with the equalizer against Mainz, had not played a single minute before this latest match. Baumgart appears to be successfully reinvigorating players who had been overlooked or underutilized.

Additionally, Baumgart has made tactical adjustments that have shifted Union away from the ultra-defensive 3-3-2-2 formation established by former head coach Urs Fischer. He has restructured the team into a more aggressive 3-4-3 setup, and has also employed a 4-3-3 formation late in matches for increased offensive impact.

Baumgart has highlighted the importance of substitutions in his post-match press conferences on multiple occasions. There is considerable anticipation regarding his future match strategies involving the players on the bench.

“As a team, we emphasize the collective rather than the starting XI,” Baumgart affirmed during the press conference. “This underscores the morale and mentality of the team. I found the two goals to be very well executed and I am pleased that we secured another decisive goal through our collective effort.

“It indeed revolves around the players who come in, not just the starting XI,” he reiterated in response to a follow-up question. “This demonstrates the significance of those on the bench; they contribute substantially to the match’s quality.

“It is crucial that our starters put in the effort for us,” Baumgart concluded in response to a third question. “Then, our substitutes come in and give their all. That is our collective effort. It differs from the beginning of the season, which is exactly what we aim to achieve.”

— GGFN | Peter Weis