Hertha’s defensive strength: goalkeeping expert – “Then you ‘only’ win 1-0”

As of: November 21, 2025 10:52 a.m

With ten goals conceded, Hertha BSC is one of the strongest defensive teams in the 2nd Bundesliga. Goalkeeper expert Sascha Felter on the positive trend of the “Old Lady”.

Hertha BSC is one of the strongest defensive teams in the 2nd Bundesliga with ten goals conceded after the first twelve match days. In an interview, goalkeeper expert Sascha Felter talks about the development of keeper Tjark Ernst and the positive trend of the “Old Lady”.

rbb|24: Second division team Hertha BSC have recently won four competitive games in a row – all to zero. How big is goalkeeper Tjark Ernst’s contribution to this successful series, Mr. Felter?

Sascha Felter: It’s not insignificant. Of course, it’s always best for goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet. If you add a win to the mix, it’s even nicer. Tjark Ernst makes a more solid and better impression this season than last season. At 22 years old, he is still very young, but already exudes great calm.

It also seems as if he has a much better coordination with the people in front of him – especially the central defenders; when it comes to defending shots together. He often has very good positioning, which we saw again and again in the game in Kaiserslautern with shots around the penalty area. He usually had a clear view of the ball, stood exactly at the angle of the shot and was able to safely parry many balls.

rbb|24: In January you said im rbb interview that Marius Gersbeck is the better goalkeeper in the Hertha squad. Tjark Ernst is now playing the best season of his professional career to date as the undisputed number one; has given his team, among other things against Fortuna Düsseldorf and at 1. FC Kaiserslautern recorded the three points. In which parts of his goalkeeping game has he made the biggest developmental strides?

Felter: He worked on his clarity in goalkeeping. Hertha’s general style of play also clearly suits him. Hertha allows fewer shots than in the previous season. It seems as if the team is more often than not letting itself fall behind in a planned manner and letting the opponent come along in a planned manner. Everything seems coordinated and as a result the interaction between the defense – especially the central defenders – and the goalkeeper appears much better. It is clearly regulated when Ernst has to be pushed out.

He can mostly concentrate on his goal defense – purely preventing goals. He no longer has to make as many decisions when intercepting crosses, throwing balls behind the chain or advancing one-on-one. At the moment everything at Hertha seems to be very well coordinated in terms of group tactics. This also makes the goalkeeper shine more. Since my statement in January, many more minutes and some highlight games have been added. This causes his chest to get bigger and bigger.

rbb|24: Coach Stefan Leitl changed his formation after the first four unsuccessful league games. Since then, Hertha has again defended with a four-man defense chain instead of a three-man defense chain and has been able to stabilize itself. What effects does the basic order have on goalkeeping?

Felter: When building up the game, this results in different passing angles and options for the goalkeeper. Tjark Ernst is also a very good footballer. This season he has been involved in the game much more often. In the 2nd Bundesliga, he receives an average of 26 passes per 90 minutes; with a pass rate of around 77 percent. Almost every second of his long balls arrives. This corresponds to an increase of ten percent compared to the previous year. It’s good for him how the team is currently set up. The center is – thanks Paul Seguinwho demands a lot of balls and runs a lot defensively – significantly stronger.

rbb|24: Speaking of which, which defensive players – apart from Tjark Ernst – are, in your opinion, currently the biggest guarantees of success for Hertha?

Felter: The game in Kaiserslautern was of course a real defensive battle. I also liked Niklas Kolbe with a lot of actions in the left-back position. The central defender duo Márton Dárdai and Toni Leistner look very good. And Seguin has found his role, which hasn’t always been the case in recent years. In central midfield he operates with a consistency that is probably also the case at Schalke [bei seinem Ex-Verein; Anm. d. Red.] expected from him. He is now playing very well under his new, old coach Stefan Leitl. He holds the threads together in midfield – and the central defenders should be grateful to have a player like him in front of them, who makes so many meters and runs a lot.

rbb|24: Captain Fabian Reese recited an old team sports adage after the 1-0 away win in Kaiserslautern: “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.” What can the “Old Lady” still be capable of this season?

Felter: Hertha seems to have strong defensive stability. Both FC Schalke, with seven goals conceded, and SC Paderborn, who have only conceded ten goals so far, are currently still ahead. However, I believe Hertha will be in a much better position at the end of the season than last year due to their more organized defense [die Berliner beendeten die Spielzeit 2024/25 mit 44 Punkten und einem Torverhältnis von 49:51 auf dem 11. Platz; Anm. d. Red.]. Offensive players like Fabian Reese or Luca Schuler can now shine even better and it doesn’t matter so much if you miss a chance at the front. Then, like last time in Kaiserslautern, you “only” win 1-0.

Thank you for the conversation!

The interview led Anton Fahl.

Broadcast: rbb|24, November 20, 2025, Sascha Felter in an interview with Anton Fahl