Hertha BSC: Familiar relegation battle

It is a familiar starting position for Hertha BSC: Exactly one year ago, the Berliners also finished second to last in the Bundesliga table, and at the end of the season the club saved itself from relegation. This year, too, the capital club is fighting for survival in the top flight of German football. Is history repeating itself? The match against S04 could provide the answers.

Bundesliga

13.04.23, 17:09

Sandro Schwarz

Over the entire course of the current season, the Old Lady’s focus has been directed downwards; at no time has Hertha been above 13th place. In contrast to the competition in the relegation battle, however, the Berliners have so far managed without a change of coach. Sandro Schwarz, who succeeded last-minute saviour Felix Magath in the summer, is still in charge.

This stability on the sidelines should pay off, but off the pitch there have been some changes in the club’s personnel. In recent months, Hertha BSC have strategically repositioned themselves for the future with sports director Benjamin Weber, Andreas „Zecke“ Neuendorf as head of licensing and the American investment firm 777 Partners as a shareholder.

High praise for recent performances

Meanwhile, right now, Hertha has been waiting for a win for five games. Head coach Schwarz is hopeful about the recent performances against teams that are playing to reach the Champions League places. His team „received high praise“ both for the 1-1 draw at SC Freiburg and the 1-0 home defeat against RB Leipzig last week.

The clash with the Royal Blues has the potential to be the most important game of the season for Schwarz, after all, the Berliners could leave the relegation zone with a win at Schalke. A defeat, on the other hand, would see Hertha overtaken by the Knappen with a two point gap. „There is a huge opportunity in this game. We need the stability and straightforwardness on the pitch to overcome the opposition’s man-marking. We have to be physical against them and bring our quality,“ the 44-year-old made clear at the press conference before the away game at the VELTINS Arena.

Weak away record

The keyword „away game“ does not evoke any positive feelings in the capital – quite the opposite. With an appalling record of only five points from 13 games, Hertha BSC are bottom of the league in the away table. Former Schalke player Kevin-Prince Boateng knows what is in store for his team: „It will be a chaotic game. We’ll have to work extremely hard to win.“ Suat Serdar, Jonjoe Kenny, co-trainer Volkan Bulut and striker-coach Vedad Ibišević should also keep this in mind …

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