Felix Magath’s first appearance as the new Hertha coach gave an idea of how the 68-year-old still wants to keep the Berliners in the Bundesliga: Magath is relying on the tried and tested when dealing with several trouble spots.
After the 2-0 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, Hertha slipped to 17th place in the table. The previous low point of the month-long (not only) sporting downturn was followed on Sunday by the dismissal of head coach Tayfun Korkut, who, like his hapless predecessor Pal Dardai, had officiated 13 games.
And then the installation by Felix Magath – who now only has eight games to avert the total loss for the club. The 68-year-old faces a gigantic task in a club that is struggling on countless construction sites at the same time and is now faced with the shards of a number of wrong decisions. How did it even come to this and why does Hertha BSC have much more than “just” a coaching problem? An inventory.
The wasted half a year
Tayfun Korkut said at the press conference before the game that his team would not park the bus in Gladbach. On the matchday itself, the coach ordered eight defensive-minded players into the starting XI, and Hertha should succeed in a deep 5-3-2. It was one of the last volts of Korkut’s tumble course.
After the first couple of games, at least something like defensive stability seemed to set in, and an offensive plan should then be developed from this basis. Korkut failed spectacularly with both projects. The already questionable points average of his predecessor Pal Dardai, who, like Korkut, was also allowed to referee 13 games this season, was again well below Korkut. After only two wins, the average was 0.7 points per game, Dardai had managed at least 1.1 points.
With Korkut, the team could neither solve the many acute problems nor initiate a development that could have given hope beyond this season. Now the only thing that helps is the type of fireman who, at the end of the season and with only eight matchdays left, no longer brings in any major tactical elements, but uses other levers. In Magath’s case, one can easily imagine what levers that will be.
Hertha BSC has let half a year go by, only to be in a much worse position than before in the final phase of the season. There have been enough admonitions and warnings that this could happen. The squad’s little potential had recently been completely squandered and it could take quite a while to revive the spirits. But Hertha no longer has this time. It’s all the more exciting to see how Magath tackles the team from now on.
In any case, the coach already has a concrete idea. “Discipline is just part of sport, I didn’t invent it,” he said to his players, adding: “Anyone who helps to keep Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga in a disciplined manner has all the trumps in my hand,” he said. Magath said at his first press conference on Monday.
“I think Hertha wanted to get a coach for the last few games who has a certain authority. Felix Magath definitely has that,” said Magath’s former player Heiko Westermann in an interview SPOX and goal. However, Westermann does not believe that Magath, known in the Bundesliga as “Quälix” and “Schschleifer” due to his tough training methods, is now tightening the reins extremely in training. “He won’t let much go now, there’s no time for that.” It’s more about discipline now. Westermann: “Authority will be an important factor in the next few games. And he will be able to take some of the pressure off the players just by being there.”
The lifeless crew
On Saturday in Gladbach, with an opponent who was also shaken up badly, most of the Berlin players couldn’t show the attitude that would have been necessary in such an important game. In the meantime, it almost seems as if some players have already closed the Hertha BSC chapter – while those who show steadfastness and fight back are hopelessly lost without support.
This also includes the fact that the squad was neither designed and put together for the relegation battle, nor have the players been able to flip the switch so far. Only a few are familiar with the relegation battle in the Bundesliga, but the majority were lured to Berlin under completely different conditions and objectives. And without the seasoned players who can and want to lead the way, the youngsters are of course overwhelmed.
Recently there has been no rebellion within the team. Perhaps that was also due to the state of paralysis that was spreading and that the players had long since lost confidence in their former coach. But a certain level of basic virtue and resilience is to be expected from every single player. However, 28 goals conceded in the ten competitive games in the calendar year 2022 speak a different language.
If you take only the group and individual tactical behavior when conceding goals in Gladbach, the hope of an early improvement under Magath is pretty low. When Matthias Ginter scored after a corner, Davie Selke and Lucas Tousart not only looked at the ball, they moved out of the situation five meters in front of their own goal. But Ginter just went into the ball and was then completely free.
Two of the three central defensive midfielders felt like they were miles out of position when they conceded the first goal after losing the ball on the wing, as usual, and there was no sign of the desired protection. When the defensive chain fell, three players stuck to the plan, a fourth tried to catch up – and the fifth made the crucial mistake.
Marc-Oliver Kempf positioned himself two or three meters lower than his colleagues who were holding the offside line. Instead of moving onto the ball and thus putting opponent Marcus Thuram offside, Kempf retreated and released the pass in depth; as if that wasn’t clumsy enough, he then owed a penalty with his tackle.
Kempf was bought as a potential leader, after several mistakes before goals were conceded and a red card, this attempt has so far turned out to be useless. Instead, the fundamental problem remains: the team is missing players who are now fighting back, taking responsibility and sometimes making noise on the pitch.
Korkut has virtually overthrown captain Dedryck Boyata, regular keeper Alexander Schwolow recently didn’t even make it into the squad. Suat Serdar or Marco Richter, at least two of the few bright spots, were no longer regular players.
Magath’s first and probably most important task will be to quickly recognize the (supposed) leaders as such and finally to build something like stability around them again. Because in the last few weeks not a single Berliner player has been able to show himself as a leader. Morale is weak, a hierarchy no longer exists. “First I have to develop a feeling for people, I have to speak, feel and smell them in order to be able to recognize the biggest construction sites. So far, I had the impression that there was no such cohesive team effort. It will certainly be a few days before I know which levers to use,” said Magath.
