Reflection on the basic virtues – a proper first half
But first things first. Korkut decides to swap his favored 4-2-2-2 system for a 4-3-3 in order to counter Leipzig’s central focus. The plan works in the first round. While Hertha is still noticeably high against Bochum and Fürth, the Berliners rely on midfield pressing against Leipzig. The hosts act in such a tactically disciplined and fighting manner that it is extremely difficult for the guests to convert the many possessions into a goal threat. Concentration, tactical discipline and a passionate love of defending – attributes that Hertha so often lack this season are suddenly all there.
Due to the good staggering against the ball, there is actually no sign of a goal being conceded, but when Hertha opens the space between defensive midfield and defense for the first time in the 20th minute, Leipzig strikes ice cold. Left alone, Benjamin Henrichs can try his luck twice until defending talent Linus Gechter unluckily deflects into his own goal. And so Leipzig leads, although Hertha has done little to nothing wrong up to that point. However, the capitals are quite unimpressed by the goal they conceded, and their own attacks, which had previously been imprecise, became noticeably more purposeful afterwards.
Despite a good start – Hertha goes under in the second round
After the restart, Hertha was immediately rewarded for the disciplined first half and equalized in the 48th minute through Stevan Jovetic. After the 1-1 draw, the Berliners had a real urge, and for almost 15 minutes the “Old Lady” was the game-determining team. Like no other Bundesliga team, Hertha illustrates how crucial the head is in sport. It takes a single sense of accomplishment and the players seem liberated. Suddenly the necessary self-confidence is there, suddenly good, fluid football is being played, as if Hertha had the run and not Leipzig. Suddenly, tender hope grows.
But this fickleness is also reflected in the negative. The scene described at the beginning falls in Hertha’s strongest phase. Suddenly, the blue and whites are 1:2 behind and have to play the last half hour with one player less. A low blow. The specially created momentum is gone, Hertha pulled the plug.
The home team endured the next four goals conceded defenseless in a tragic way. 60 praiseworthy minutes are pulverized by 24 terrible ones. The tiny bud of hope is being brutally crushed again in these minutes. In the end, Hertha loses 1: 6. “We are brutally disappointed. The result is amazing. If you look at the game, we saw two different games. Up to 2-1 and after 2-1,” said Fredi Bobic after the game.
A game with two stories
Because yes, Sunday evening writes two stories. On the one hand, Hertha has shown perhaps the most mature performance in the new calendar year for a long time. A jolt has visibly gone through the team, which seems to have accepted the relegation battle. A new seriousness could be felt in the Berlin game, which is much more defined by the basics of the sport. Despite six short-term Corona failures and a total of 14 (!) missing players, the capital club bravely withstood an overpowering opponent for a long time.
On the other hand, it became clear once again how extremely fragile this team is. The fall after the 1:2 is so dramatic that the satisfying first 60 minutes can hardly outweigh it – the bottom line is the result is too shocking. The lack of resilience continues to characterize Hertha, but it is probably the most important quality in the relegation battle. Korkut hasn’t managed to teach his squad the necessary resilience in three months. The Berliner Sportclub is still unable to accept a Bundesliga game for a full 90 minutes.
Relegation in danger
If the “old lady” can be blown over by every setback, there are no arguments for staying up. In the long run, references to the good phases in a game become meaningless phrases – after all, football doesn’t award B grades, the ice-cold monster of the table only feeds on points. Two points from the last six games, a goal difference of 5:16, the second worst defense in the league, the fourth worst storm – Bobic is sticking with coach Korkut despite these figures. Don’t fall into activism. The question is whether, given the development of the last few weeks and the precarious table situation, it would still be actionism.
Broadcast: rbbUM6, February 21, 2022, 6 p.m
Source: rbb