After the Christmas break, 1. FC Union Berlin trained in the warm weather of Campoamor near Murcia for the best part of a week. With the Bundesliga restart on the horizon this weekend, Urs Fischer’s team are getting back into the competitive mindset. Our Swiss head coach sat down with Christian Arbeit at the end of the training camp to assess the winter break and the Rückrunde ahead.

CA: How did you prepare yourselves mentally for such a short winter break?

UF: It was really a short period, but nevertheless, the guys got nine days off. I think that was also already important after six intensive months, during which a lot was new for us. That took a lot of energy. Whether nine days are enough is debatable, but that’s how it is. We tried to find a good mixture, to do something, especially physical, but of course pick the right game formats and tactical elements. I don’t think we’ve done that too badly so far. It will be another four-and-a-half intensive months, in which we’ll really be challenged again. It’s a new experience and we’ve got to tackle it head on.

In recent weeks, we’ve heard more that Union have slowly been “decoded” or “found out”. Are there any secrets left in modern football, in your view?

I don’t think there are any secrets. But sure, you can always surprise an opponent with the right adjustments. However, I think even in-game your opponent can react to something that you don’t have on a sheet of paper in front of you. You just have to be careful not to let your own performance suffer in the end. You need to focus on your strengths that you want to show on the pitch and not mainly on what you can do to surprise your opponent. That’s why you need to find the right balance. I’m sure clubs are aware of that.

The first half of the campaign has shown that no opponent is unbeatable. Is that a feeling that you have to carry into the second half?

Yes, I’d say so. But now you have also seen that if you had the feeling that supposedly weaker players would be at the bottom end, and now that’s not the case. It’s important to look at both arguments. You play again against every opponent, and against every opponent it is hard to score. We always need our best performance, so we can score in the end. That said, I’m far from deducing that it will happen in the same manner as we look game-to-game also in the second half. That’s why Leipzig is our focus right now. It’s about a good performance and trying to pick up some points.

What is the most frequently asked question you get from the supporters?

I must say that I don't get asked a lot of questions. It's actually more wishes and requests for autographs/selfies. Sure, there's always a short conversation but it's always pleasant. In the end we all have the same goal: to stay in the Bundesliga. Therefore we all work in the same direction. So yes, it's always very pleasant and I think it's great that you can meet like this without maintaining a big distance.

When the supporters aren't asking so many questions, then it suggests there is a lot of trust in you and your team. Would you see it that way as well?

In us as a team, yes. Even if there is always the odd point of criticism or two, but that's football. You'll never be able to please everybody. There will always be different opinions. But that's what football is all about.

What are you expecting from the second half of the season? What will it come down to in the end?

I think the second half will be a bit harder than the first. Also mentally, because we'll be challenged mentally. It's a Championship with 34 matches: one half is behind us, a short break followed and now there are only 17 games left. It's going to be less and less, and when you don't pick up points ...yes, that has a certain influence on the mind. It's do-or-die! The places might be taken up, but you know, in football things can change quickly and suddenly the world, which looked good a week ago, doesn't look so good anymore. So we'll be put to the test once more!

If you had one wish for the second half of the season, what would it be?

Let's do it the way we have done it up until now. I think we've had to gain some experience as a whole. In the future, we need to keep on learning. But I also believe we've done some things well and we need to keep doing that. That's why we're actually doing the same thing as we did in the first half ... approaching things with optimism and giving everything to stay in the Bundesliga.