Pal Dardai has faced a thankless task up to now. Since the Hungarian took over the head coach job at Hertha Berlin for the second time at the end of January, the fixture list for the capital club has been unbelievably tough. Five of his first seven opponents are in the current top five in the league: Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund. Hertha did not pick up a single point from those five matches but they were able to compete at times with the top teams. As in last Sunday’s match at Borussia Dortmund where the Old Lady held their own for the first 45 minutes leaving a strong impression, particularly in terms of defending. "We played well in the first half," the satisfied Hertha coach said. His team were up against it after the restart and ended up losing 2-0. "We couldn't even get a corner or a set piece," Dardai criticised. "I'm concerned about that." The Berliners certainly have reason to be concerned with a look at the table. The club are in the relegation position in the Bundesliga for the first time this season. The good news: Hertha play against all their direct rivals in the season run-in – and then, in contrast to the other sides at the bottom of the table, they will have already played all the big teams.
Vladimir Darida knew straightaway. After his unfortunate, but extremely painful foul on the BVB captain Marco Reus, Hertha's Czech immediately apologised to his opponent before the referee showed him the red card. That means the midfield dynamo will be suspended for the game against Bayer 04 – but the personnel situation could hardly be much worse. The winger Maximilian Mittelstädt had to help out in midfield against Dortmund as there were no other players available for this position other than Darida and Lucas Tousart. Both winter signing Sami Khedira and Arsenal loanee Matteo Guendouzi, plus enforcer Santiago Ascacibar and squad player Eduard Löwen were sidelined. Khedira will not be available against the Werkself but Guendouzi and Ascacibar should return – as should Matheus Cunha. The highly talented offensive player, a difference maker in the Hertha attack, is currently struggling with a thigh injury but he was able to train again this week and is a candidate for the starting eleven according to Dardai. And winger Nemanja Radonjic, who joined on loan from Marseille in the winter, could be in the squad again after recovering from a groin injury.
The captain and key defender Dedryck Boyata, who has not played a single game in 2021 due to a stress fracture in his foot, will probably not be available.
Performers
The individual quality, particularly in attack, is incredibly high. Even without the highly talented Cunha, Hertha have a front two comprising the Pole Krzysztof Piatek, with his powerful shot, and the imposing Colombian Jhon Cordoba. And with wingers like Dodi Lukebakio and new signing Radonjic – they have an attack capable of providing a threat on goal, which a lot of teams above Hertha in the Bundesliga could be jealous of. It's no surprise the Berliners have scored the most goals amongst teams in the bottom third of the table.
At the moment there is a lack of confidence to make the most of this quality. "I've seen an inhibition in the players," said Dardai after the Dortmund game. "You have to be relaxed up front. The lads have the ability but they're not showing it. They have to be relaxed in games and not just in training." This team, with its evident very high quality, need something to break the logjam. And perhaps it's just the "easy" goals that are missing. For example, Hertha are the only team in the league yet to score from a corner. It would certainly be strange if that were to happen against the Werkself. Bayer 04 are the only team in the league not to concede a single goal from a corner.
The position in the table may be slightly distorted due to the recent tough games. Since taking the helm, Dardai has picked up points in both the games against teams not in the top five. It is definitely the case that the Berliners should certainly be able to avoid relegation given the individual quality in the team. But that means the team have to show that in the remaining decisive weeks and get over the inhibitions mentioned by their coach.
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