Matthias Ginter says SC Freiburg are moving up another level under Julian Schuster without abandoning what made them work in the first place. Freiburg are third in the Bundesliga with 19 points from 9 matches, and this is the best start in the club's history. Schuster's side had already qualified for the UEFA Europa League in his first season, before last season's Europa League final and DFB Cup semi-finals.

Schuster's approach

Ginter's read on Schuster is more continuity than overhaul. He said Schuster, who spent a long time at Freiburg as a player before becoming a coach, “didn’t make any drastic changes”. The defender also pointed to a calmer environment around the squad, where new signings are given time to settle in, whatever their price tag.

That patience runs through the club's results as well. Freiburg's 6-1-2 league record has them level on 19 points with the kind of start that is hard to ignore, while 20 league goals show there has been more than just defensive control behind the rise.

Freiburg's development

Ginter's point is not that Schuster alone created this surge. Freiburg's stability, from the management structure to the way players are integrated, has been part of the club's progress for years. Schuster has taken that base and pushed it further, especially with the ball. As Ginter put it, “We’ve taken our game with the ball to a new level”, while still using Freiburg's principles as the foundation.

That is why the current position feels like a step rather than a fluke. Freiburg have won three of their last five league matches, and their +10 goal difference shows the balance is there on both sides of the ball. Ginter, for his part, has played 813 Bundesliga minutes this season and 9 league matches, so he is speaking from the middle of it rather than from the edge.

The club's next league game will tell a bit more about how far this run can go, but the current numbers already say enough. Freiburg are third, they have 19 points, and they have never started a season better.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →