Union, Freiburg top table with wisdom, not wealth

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga's perennial and expected top two, spent at least €30 million on four separate players this summer.

Freiburg and Union Berlin, the Bundesliga's actual top two after the conclusion of its sixth matchday, spent less than €30 million on all their incomings this summer. Combined.

It is, of course, early in the season. The likelihood of these two occupying these spots come matchday 34 is low. But this is no flash in the pan. Union's 1-0 win in Cologne and Freiburg's 0-0 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach were both played on Sunday after the clubs punched above their weight to qualify for Europe, meaning both played last Thursday.

Union have now played three of last season's top seven and city rivals Hertha in their opening six league games, winning four and drawing two. The capital city club were promoted three years ago and asked fans to help them rebuild the Stadion An der Alten Försterei as recently as 2008. Now, 14 years later, many of those fans were singing "Spitzenreiter" (league leaders) for the first time ever in the top flight.

The 1-0 win flattered Cologne, with Union dominant after taking the lead through an early own goal. Urs Fischer's side have a reputation for direct football and organization but the Swiss coach is tactically versatile and his players are able to adapt to the demands of a game without losing their identity as a team. They also offer pace, skill, accountability and leadership.

Fischer and Ruhnert work smart

Perhaps the culture of the club is best demonstrated by the case of Max Kruse. As Union moved to the top of the table on Sunday, the man whose goal sent them in to Europe for the first time in 2021 was being publicly told he'll never play for Wolfsburg again by coach Niko Kovac. Not for the first time in his career, the former Germany international has been criticised for a lack of professionalism. That Union were able to integrate such a maverick in to such a well-drilled team is testament to the work of Fischer and sporting director Oliver Ruhnert.

The pair are among the Bundesliga's canniest operators. Union, like Freiburg, made a profit in the most recent transfer window, thanks mainly to the sale of top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi to Premier League Nottingham Forest, but have consistently identified undervalued players from elsewhere. Center back Robin Knoche (free from Wolfsburg 2020) and goalkeeper Lennart Grill (loan from Bayer Leverkusen 2022) were among Union's best performers on Sunday, while Bundesliga top scorer Sheraldo Becker also cost Union nothing.

"I am happy, big compliments to my team," said Fischer, before referencing Union's one poor result, a Europa League loss to Union Saint-Gilloise in midweek. "We were ready for the task, we wanted to do better than on Thursday. "

Streich and stablility key at Freiburg

Freiburg's result on Thursday was better, with early goals from Vincenzo Grifo and Ritsu Doan enough to take them past Qarabag in the same competition. It's the third time Freiburg have been in Europe in Streich's 11-year reign, while there's also been a spell in the second division. But the man who was a player and a youth coach with the club has never wavered in his beliefs.

Just as Fischer and Union's back office insist on human qualities as much as technical attributes, so it is in the Black Forest, where Streich values humanity and intelligence off the pitch as much as skill and determination on it. That determination was evident on Sunday, when Freiburg rode out an early Gladbach storm to grind out another point that makes it 13 from six games.

"The boys marched for 92 minutes," said Streich after Sunday's game. "It's a fair draw. Even if we think we could have scored one, the way our team performed is great. We have to keep this mentality."

Recent history suggest they, and Union, will keep the mentality and identity that's taken them to such lofty heights. With Bayern Munich still unbeaten, RB Leipzig starting well under Marco Rose and Borussia Dortmund with a wealth of talent, staying in the top positions will be challenging. But these two have proved that they don't fear challenges.