"Well, this is turning into quite the subplot. Lukas, the hero of Istanbul midweek, still waiting for his chance. The decision to hold him back is certainly curious."
"It is, but Knauff's pace does change the dynamic immediately. You can see what Toppmöller is thinking. The question is whether it pays off."
It looked like Toppmöller was determined to solve the problem called Union Berlin without his best player on the team. Sure, he wanted to keep Lukas fresh for the second leg against Fenerbahçe in a few days, but subconsciously he also wanted to prove his team could beat anyone even without the help of a 16-year-old kid.
There were no hard feelings towards Lukas, of course. Toppmöller knew he was undoubtedly the best player on the squad, but the discourse about his team online was starting to make it look like they were only in their current position because of Lukas's personal exploits.
Toppmöller felt he could change that.
