Palko Dardai, here in the 3-0 win against Greuther Fürth, underwent successful surgery and is expected to be back on the pitch in January Photo: City Press
By Carsten Priefer
The operation went well, but Hertha now has a big problem!
Playmaker Palko Dardai (24) tore his syndesmosis ligament in the 3-0 win against Braunschweig and was successfully operated on on Tuesday, according to BZ information. The foot was fixed with a screw and the part should be removed again in around six weeks.
But a return to the pitch will probably only be possible at the start of the second half of the season in January against Düsseldorf. And that’s exactly why coach Pal Dardai has a problem before the game at Holstein Kiel on Sunday (1:30 p.m.) – he doesn’t have a tenner left!
Coach Dardai is considering a system change
Giant talent Ibrahim Maza (17), who impressed in this position during pre-season preparation, is also injured. Maza is still in rehab after knee surgery and has not yet been on the training pitch with the team.
That leaves offensive gem Bence Dardai (17) for the playmaker position. But putting him in the starting line-up straight away in the next few games is probably too risky for the coach.
That’s why he’s even considering changing his 4-2-3-1 system. Pal Dardai: “We still have a few days before the game in Kiel. We have to think of something, maybe even change our system. In any case, we don’t have a player who can replace Palko one-on-one.”
A solution has to be found – and ideally the next three points too.