Nenad Bjelica has an uphill task to drag Union Berlin back to Bundesliga safety (Denis LOVROVIC)
Bundesliga club Union Berlin on Sunday named Croatian Nenad Bjelica as head coach to replace the departed Urs Fischer.
Union finished fourth last season but are wallowing in the relegation zone with just seven points from 12 games.
The new coach spoke of the quality in his side and urged his players to return to their previous form.
“Whoever performs well on the pitch will have his best friend in Nenad Bjelica. Whoever doesn’t will have problems,” the manager said at a press conference announcing his unveiling.
“Union is a very well-run club in one of Europe’s top leagues” the 52-year-old Croatian said.
“My job is to lead the team out of a difficult period and showcase their strengths again.”
Union take on Braga on Wednesday in the Champions League followed by a trip to face Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Bjelica said “there’s a lot to play for — three points in the Champions League and three points in Munich.
“No matter who the opponent is we want to be successful in these games.”
Despite being eliminated from the knockout rounds, Union can still qualify for the Europa League by finishing third in their group.
After a playing career in Germany, Spain, Austria and his native Croatia, Bjelica took Austrian third-division side Wolfsburg AC to the Bundesliga, before leading Austria Vienna to the group stage of the Champions League for the first time ever.
As coach of Dynamo Zagreb, Bjelica won the Croatian league and cup.
In five years under Fischer, Union won a first-ever promotion to the top division and within four seasons was playing Champions League football.
The Swiss coach however left by mutual agreement earlier in November, with the club sitting dead last on the table after a winless run of 14 games.
Union sporting director Oliver Ruhnert refused to address speculation in the German media that former Real Madrid forward Raul was among the candidates.
“We had a lot of discussions” Ruhnert said.
“I am convinced that Nenad Bjelica, with his many years of experience as a player and a coach, is a good fit for our team.
“We have gained an experienced coach who has worked successfully in various countries,” club president Dirk Zingler said in a statement.
Union drew 1-1 at home with Augsburg on Saturday to pick up the club’s first point in the league since August and drag themselves off the bottom of the table.
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