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By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- This weekend Thomas Tuchel will not only face the German Bundesliga's most unusual club but a coach that does not fit the common perception of the role.
When Tuchel and Borussia Dortmund try to win another three points in their race to reach the Champions League and the millions of euro up for grabs in Europe's most important club competition, the 43-year-old will have to beat SC Freiburg and his counterpart 51-year-old Christian Streich.
Both Freiburg and Streich are certainly run of the mill and add spice to Germany's top league.
Freiburg is not only light years away when it comes to Dortmund's budget, the club also seems to exist in a different world. In every other outfit, the coach would be fired after his team is relegated to the second division. But clocks tick differently in Freiburg.
The club's recent history has been one of many ups and downs. First the team gets relegated to the second division, then fights its way back to the top flight and even qualifies for the Europa League before dropping down again.
Promoted at the end of the 2015/2016 season, Freiburg is currently one of the Bundesliga's big surprises with 30 points after 21 games.
Its coach is still the same despite the rollercoaster ride, and the club's unusual philosophy has led to Streich becoming the longest-serving Bundesliga coach, having been in the job now for five years and eight weeks.
Streich is the perfect match for the Black Forest city of Freiburg, which is regarded to be Germany's Eco-capital. He cares far more about the development of his young squad than his hair style or what her wears. The former sport, history and German teacher cycles to work as he lives nearby and it is one reason why he looks as if he has been through a hedge backwards.
Streich and Freiburg are what you could call the counterpoint of the football establishment. The Sport Club was not only the first in Germany to install sun-collectors on the roof of its arena but for years has relied on its successful academy to turn out talented young players.
For 13 years, Streich was the driving force in Freiburg´s academy before taking over the first team - where he met many of his former "students" - in winter 2011.
Most of the time, Streich does not care about his reputation and image. He talks about politics and society's other issues. He urges people to work for the common good and expresses concern when human rights are endangered. Some call Streich "the conscience of the league" or at least regard him to be "the face" of his club SC Freiburg.
The widely admired coach does not seem to seek attention. On his fifth anniversary as head coach, Streich refused to give interviews spotlighting him as the longest-serving Bundesliga coach. "We have other things to do. For instance, think about the next game and how we can survive it," Streich said.
As a small club, Freiburg has to manage on a low budget and Streich and his coaching staff have to develop young players in order to compete with the established clubs in Germany.
Almost every year, the club situated in the deep south-west of Germany loses its best players to top clubs. Currently, the offensive midfielders Vincenzo Grifo (five goals/ten assists) and Maximilian Philipp (seven goals/one assist) are on the list of other clubs. Borussia Moenchengladbach is said to be willing to pay up to 5.5 million euro for free kick specialist Grifo.
"It's always the same for us. As a small club, we have to do things in a slightly differently. Virtually every year, we have to develop a new team with our youngsters. It's a challenge and energy sapping but that's our life in football," Streich said. "I'm happy about Freiburg's identity as it is. I'm thankful that football fans and the club here don't panic when we lose a game."
Football games for Streich are pure emotion. Most of the time he was caught of jumping up and down along the sideline and fighting lion heartedly for his side.
Fellow coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Tuchel admire Streich's coaching approach, and players praise his ability to create a special team spirit.
Players like striker Nils Petersen seem to be fascinated, saying: "He has an incredible reach and it's all done without a suit and tie. His behavior polarizes and uses his reach for other topics than football."
