Berlin (AP) – Bundesliga soccer club Hertha BSC has separated from head coach Tayfun Korkut after the 0-2 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
After five defeats in a row and falling to 17th place in the table, the 47-year-old has to go. Unlike in the past few weeks, when those responsible around Korkut and managing director Fredi Bobic referred to the good phases in the Hertha game despite bad results, this was no longer possible after the appearance against Gladbach.
Bobic: “Another change necessary”
“First of all, I would like to thank Tayfun Korkut and his assistant Ilija Aračić for their commitment to Hertha BSC since November. After a promising start with seven points from the first four games and a positive trend, we now have an open and clear picture of the development of performance and We analyzed the results of the nine games in the second half of the season and decided to make another change to the coaching position,” Bobic was quoted as saying in a press release.
It is still unclear who should save the Berliners in the end of the season. “We will inform you about the successor in this position as soon as this personnel issue has been finally clarified,” said the Hertha message. Next Saturday (3:30 p.m. / Sky) TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is the next opponent in Berlin. After the following international break, the opponents are Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin, before a three-pack against relegation rivals FC Augsburg, VfB Stuttgart and Arminia Bielefeld.
Nine games in a row without a win
Korkut only succeeded club legend Pal Dardai as head coach of the capital club at the end of November. He only looked after the Berliners in 14 competitive games. After the team had picked up seven points from their first four league games under Korkut, including a convincing 3-2 win against second-placed Dortmund, things went steadily downhill in the new year.
In the Bundesliga they went nine times in a row without a win, in addition to the bitter elimination in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup against city rivals Union Berlin (2: 3). In the second half of the season, the old lady only has two points and 6:25 goals.
More than three years after his last short-term engagement at VfB Stuttgart, the 47-year-old Korkut should at least lead the Bundesliga team, which is stagnating between gray mediocrity and acute relegation problems, from the bottom half of the table until the end of the season. Bobic’s request failed thoroughly.
Hertha staggers towards the descent
The mood around the club has been very tense in recent weeks. After the derby defeat in the DFB Cup, fans disrupted team training. The decision to separate now also increases the pressure on Bobic, who brought Korkut and has already separated from the second coach in the almost ten months of his tenure.
Not only in terms of results, but also in terms of play, there was only limited progress compared to Dardai’s second term. Hertha is consistently lagging behind the still high standards of the club, which investor Lars Windhorst has declared a “Big City Club”. The conflict with Windhorst, who is striving for more say, is now being carried out publicly. In the past two and a half years, the club has worn out six coaches in Ante Covic, Jürgen Klinsmann, Alexander Nouri, Bruno Labbadia, Pal Dardai and now Korkut.
In the winter transfer window, Hertha only spent a little money due to the financial effects of the Corona crisis. There was also a massive corona outbreak in the team and bad luck with injuries.