Berlin (dpa) – Freshly strengthened by the vote of confidence from his managing director, Hertha trainer Tayfun Korkut made a clear announcement to his team, which was in danger of relegation. “Fuck me, I want you to win,” the 47-year-old called out to his team in training.
Meanwhile, on the edge of the square, managing director Fredi Bobic gave the pros of the Berlin Bundesliga club a certificate of incapacity. “In this dialogue, the players also recognized for themselves that they are the problem, that they also have to tackle it,” said Bobic about talks over the past few days. “They have to become a team as soon as possible,” said Bobic. “We’re not right now, you have to be honest. That scared us all, Saturday.”
Korkut wants to “hell win again”
At home in the Olympic Stadium, Hertha BSC suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt. “The team knows they have to score points at the weekend,” emphasized 50-year-old Bobic before the duel between the crisis clubs on Saturday against Borussia Mönchengladbach (6.30 p.m. / Sky).
Korkut also didn’t beat around the bush on the pitch. “This is your future, this is not my future,” he said. “I want the hell to win again this weekend.” He doesn’t coach a youth team. “Do you think we can get out of this?”
Bobic had previously emphasized that he still had “complete trust” in Korkut. And he is certain: the team will still reach Korkut. The coach also knows that you have to score points against Gladbach. Korkut and the team would have to “get a wagon castle mentality.” Hertha, in the capital only number two behind 1. FC Union, has not yet won a game this year and is on the relegation rank, just one point ahead of 17th place in the table. Under Korkut, the club legend Pal Dardai only at the end of November replaced, the club took just nine points from twelve Bundesliga games.
Early separation from sports director Friedrich
A premature separation was announced on Monday evening: sports director Arne Friedrich resigned from his position with immediate effect, he was actually supposed to stay in Berlin until the summer. The former Hertha captain also made his dissatisfaction with the standards of a club press release very clear: “For various reasons, however, I have had the feeling over the past few months that my influence on important sporting decisions is no longer sufficient to carry out my tasks as a player sporting director.”
Bobic said: “It may have been a bit difficult for him to have the influence now, also in the perception of the players.” Differences about the decision on Korkut’s future were not decisive for Friedrich’s departure. But it was also clear that he could no longer involve Friedrich in many decisions about Hertha’s future.
Bobic is now finally the public face of the club and wants to get even closer to the team himself. “I’ll have even more focus and concentration on the team, I’ll draw more attention to myself and go even deeper in discussions with the players and everyone involved,” said the former Hertha striker.
Regarding the decision by the world governing body FIFA to open a temporary transfer window for foreign players and coaches at clubs in Russia and Ukraine in view of the war, Bobic said that they would see if this could result in opportunities to strengthen the squad.