Most experienced second division coach
© Imago
After four defeats in a series and a continuing downward trend, Hertha BSC pulled the ripcord at the weekend and announced the separation of coach Cristian Fiél after only eight months. With Stefan Leitl, the capital club is likely to get by far the most experienced of all reigning second division coach as a successor, which should be brought back as soon as possible after the then disappointing season. A variant that is not cheap with a view to the polled transfer fee, but the cost-benefit calculation should pay off. A look at the opportunities and risks associated with the personnel.
Just seven weeks after his exemption in Hanover, Leitl, according to reports, returned to the 2nd Bundesliga. In Berlin, the native of Munich, who still lives with his family in the Bavarian metropolis, takes over the second most valuable and fourth youngest squad in the lower house. Coupled with the big prestige that the club has, on paper a task at first glance for every coach – you first hide the sporting situation and the traditionally rather restless environment. Since the departure of Jos Luhukay in February 2015, Leitl has now been the twelfth trainer who tries his luck on the Spree. Only the Pál Dárdai, which was active three times for Hertha during this period, stayed for more than a year.
Pressure and expectations in Berlin are large and while one often draws parallels between the federal and Lower Saxony capital in the inner German city comparison, there are also those between 96 and Hertha. Leitl knows the situation from Maschsee that predominates on the Spree: a large club, a big goal. Despite regular threshing and teasing on the part of the media or the club tour, he always managed to keep the necessary calm in Hanover, to represent his point of view and to sustainably promote development against resistance. With the much -cited three -year plan, Leitl and sports director Marcus Mann in Hanover created the previously nearby closeness and identification between the club and supporters. This is also why the discharge came as a surprise shortly before the turn of the year and polarized in fan circles.
“I personally have always received positive support here – even in the more difficult phases. The people in Hanover believe in our way and that is the most beautiful feedback that you can get as a trainer, ”the coach, in November 2024, had shown in the transfer market interview on the occasion of its 200th second division game. In the meantime, Leitl is at 204, only 17 coaches have had more games in the lower house since the reintroduced 2nd Bundesliga in 1992.
The experienced lead. And the “Berliner Weg”, which stormed during the transition season 2024/25, also seems paved with such in view. So the transfer budget is likely to be limited in the coming summer, as a repayment of the 40 million euro bond is still due in autumn-investor 777 partners, which almost 80 percent of the KG shares belong, is also not financially on roses embedded. For the trainer, however, the focus is initially on stabilizing the team, which he succeeded during his last stop. “He made one of the best defensive in the league from Hanover. That alone would help us. At the front we are individually set up in such a way that a goal should always be possible. Only our defensive has to become more reliable, ”writes TM user“ 1892Blau-Weiss ”in the forum.
The accusation, which Fiél at Hertha has to face in retrospect, also accompanied Leitl in Hanover almost during his entire term: not having brought the full potential out of a squad that is actually occupied. According to places 10 and 6, the lack of consistency of Lower Saxony should belong to the past this season. But even if Hanover’s defense became the strongest of the league, a plan to be recognized and the corresponding punch was often missing in the game forward. “A lack of courage”, “dead ball possession”, “sleeping car football” are descriptions that Leitl had to swallow regularly with regard to his style of play. In the last few weeks before the exemption, even a man has publicly called for more offensive power of coaches and teams. The ex-prince, who once managed to promote the Bundesliga with the cloverleaf, was repeatedly critically accused of the ex-prince in the starting line-up. In view of the options in Hanover in several positions in several positions.
“In the end it was a lot of ball control, but very little creative things forward. Sometimes it even seemed as if the players were afraid of making mistakes, ”attested to users“ Jernals ”in the TM forum, but at the same time pushes after:“ What you can count on is his courage, boy To bring players and not to lose their confidence in them even after a few worse games. That gave us a few nice transfer income. ”The latter recently emphasized the trainer in the transfer market interview:“ We have demonstrably implemented many topics: We have implemented a new game idea and created a new identification in the area. Also by bringing a lot of players from our own academy into the professional squad. We made sustainable transfers and generated revenues on the income page. (Click here for the transfer history of Hannover 96) We have increasingly brought players who are close to Hanover or come from northern Germany. And we delivered sustainable results and increased from year to year. ”
Stefan Leitl and Marcus Mann shaped the development of the past 2.5 years in Hanover.
Hertha BSC has to dig into the pocket for Leitl
Fiél, who had to compensate for the sales of service providers such as Haris Tabakovic and long-term failures such as Fabian Reese during his tenure, did not get the chance to build something in the long term despite the initial difficulties. A central question will be how much time one is granted at Hertha with his long-time assistant coach Andre Mijatovic in Berlin. He can now prove that he is the better solution compared to Fiél, after the Berliners are said to have flirted with an obligation by the coach last summer. At that time, a transfer fee would have been due to get rid of Leitl of 96, but now the Hertha has to pay. According to the “Bild” newspaper, an amount “in the low, six-digit range” will flow from the leash to the Spree, at least 100,000 euros. In addition, parts of the promotion bonus anchored in Leitl’s 96 contract could be due, as Hannover under André Breitenreiter should still make the leap into the upper house. When Leitl went, the red four points gave up in 1st place, now there are six.
In the Hertha Forum, the LEITL personnel have been discussed a lot since the emergence of the first rumors at the end of last week. For numerous users, there is a chance to get back to the road to success compared to the risk of having to look the next paid coach at the end of the season after Fiél. The fact that Leitl has extensive experience in the lower house does not mean that it works here. Nevertheless, significantly more quality can be expected on the basis of the previous services than was fell, ”User attested“ Vanscap ”, and“ Junge_Baller ”shoots after:“ In addition, there is hardly an alternative. Which coach available on the market would be a better option and would come to Hertha? (…) Even if I think the problem is not mainly with the coach, but with our incompetent leadership, I think the decision is reasonable. ”
“BSC1892Ostalb”, meanwhile, sums up the first and prioritized task of Leitl’s: “A decision to understand. In contrast to Fiél, it also has something. It is now important to stabilize the club, because we are in free fall. I definitely trust this task. It doesn’t matter whether football is boring or not. It is now just about collecting points, nothing more and nothing less. “