Berlin (AP) – Hertha trainer Tayfun Korkut said it was clear that his team had to cope with setbacks after initially strong results.
“What is happening here at Hertha does not surprise me. I knew that it would be a process and that we would not shoot up immediately, that there would be chunks that we would have to clear away,” the 47-year-old told the “Tagesspiegel”. “But I’ve calmed down because I’ve experienced this situation several times. That also has to do with experience.”
The Turk has been training the Bundesliga soccer club from the capital since the end of November. The team picked up seven points in their first four league games, including a 3-2 home win against Borussia Dortmund. In the new year, however, the Berliners are still without a win and are only one point before the relegation place. “I don’t know any other way that there is wind around us in such a situation. Sometimes the wind comes from the front, sometimes from the side, and it can sometimes get stronger,” said Korkut. “But you can’t let that get you down. I have to keep working with my team in a solution-oriented manner.”
On Sunday (7.30 p.m. / DAZN) Hertha meets RB Leipzig, which has won every Bundesliga guest game with the old lady so far. However, Korkut was combative: “Dortmund were also a good team, weren’t they? We beat them. I don’t believe in planning results in advance.” He knows that many are wondering: “If they don’t even win against Bochum and Fürth, then who will they be? You have to deal with this emotionality. But if I thought like that, I would have to hide in the basement now.”