Assistant coach Volkan Bulut (2nd from left) Photo: City Press GmbH
From BZ/dpa
According to assistant coach Volkan Bulut, Hertha striker Florian Niederlechner is not disturbed by his lack of goals.
“Flo is a very experienced Bundesliga striker. He knows how valuable he is to us. Whether he will score or not is basically just a matter of time. He works very hard, gives everything for the team,” said Bulut on Thursday before the relegation duel of the Berliners on Saturday (3:30 p.m. / Sky) at TSG Hoffenheim.
Florian Niederlechner Photo: City Press
Niederlechner switched from FC Augsburg to Hertha in January. Since then he has not played a goal in seven appearances, but he always puts the pressure on with his efforts. Bulut, who represented the sick head coach Sandro Wagner at the press conference, praised Niederlechner’s team spirit.
“He’s not too bad either – which deserves a lot of recognition – to say after 60 or 70 minutes, in which he ran his lungs out of his throat: We have more strikers on the bench. I can’t anymore. The next one should come in and give it their all,” said the assistant coach. “That has worked very well in the last few weeks.”
The game in Sinsheim is immensely important for the Berliners. Hertha (21 points) is 15th, just before the relegation rank. Hoffenheim (19 points) has slipped to last place after seven league defeats in a row. No team has scored as few points in foreign stadiums as Hertha this season.