Julian Schuster believes Freiburg has the ability to leverage its unique strengths.

Freiburg will travel to Besiktas Stadium to compete for the UEFA Europa League title in the 2025/26 season, facing Aston Villa from the English Premier League. Manager Julian Schuster stated in an interview that he didn't expect to lead the team all the way to the final, but he believes Freiburg has the ability to play to their strengths.

Freiburg defeated Braga 3-1 in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final, thanks to a brace from Lucas Kübler and a goal from Mansambi, and advanced to the final.

Freiburg coach Julian Schuster said, "When you see the expressions on people's faces and the light in their eyes, you can feel what this means for everyone. Even a whole week before that, the anticipation was already very evident. The atmosphere was exceptionally special and very important. At that time, many people were already saying that they had booked their trips to Istanbul."

"The support and cohesion of the entire city is stronger than ever before. That's the power of football—it can attract so many people and bring everyone together. It's a wonderful feeling, and we're enjoying it right now."

Julian Schuster, 41, will become Freiburg's head coach in March 2024. Schuster said, "What I've really discovered is that I enjoy coaching and the process of passing on my knowledge to others. I did have a strong desire to become a head coach and had thought about leading this team one day, but I never imagined the specific journey. I never imagined that I would be standing in front of a final three years from now."

"For a head coach, it's essential to understand the team's characteristics, including how the players want to play and how they understand football, as well as what style of football the players here identify with, and then combine these with your own philosophy. It's naive to only consider yourself, but this team certainly has the ability to showcase its own characteristics. At the same time, we also need to think about our shared beliefs, the ultimate goal of which is to defeat our opponents, which is why we aim to win every game."

When asked about how he copes with pressure, Julian Schuster said, “I think pressure is a good thing. It pushes me to face challenges and motivates me to complete the tasks that need to be done. These are experiences from the very early stages of my career, and I am very grateful to have experienced such moments at such an early stage.”

"Before and after each game, I would communicate with the coaching staff, ask as many questions as possible, and learn from experienced people. Their advice to me was always how to approach important games in a more conventional way. We always want to explain everything clearly and convey everything we have to the players, but this is precisely the biggest danger. It will consume some of their energy and even make them overly nervous."

In addition, Julian Schuster said, "The fact that we are sitting here right now shows that the preparation for this match is different from usual because the significance of the match is different. That's why we need to try our best to maintain the usual rhythm in the preparation process."

Image source: Internet