Berlin (AP) – When Dedryck Boyata came out of the catacombs of the Olympic Stadium again, his gaze went in the direction of the Stuttgart fan curve. It’s quite possible that the Hertha BSC captain felt a touch of pity for his VfB colleagues standing in front of the block when he saw what he saw there.
They know the feeling of being insulted by their own supporters all too well in Berlin. At Hertha, they are a bit further than the Swabians in the argument with their recently angry supporters in the curve.
That meant after the important 2-0 win over direct rivals VfB Stuttgart: boycott! No waving in the curve, no la ola and no collective humba perpetrators. Although the situation in the relegation battle is promising again due to the three points and reconciliation would have been an alternative. Instead, they immediately marched into the dressing room despite loud and passionate cheering from the blue and white section of the 54,589 spectators.
Relegation battle is a matter of nerves
In the relegation battle of the Bundesliga, nerves are under enormous strain and the tension is palpable. And in Berlin, the players have prescribed distance. “We discussed something internally as a team and we’ll see it through. If something changes, you’ll notice it,” said goalscorer Davie Selke. The humiliation of the Hertha professionals is too deep after the fans forced the players to throw the jerseys on the ground in front of the curve in the Olympic Stadium two weeks ago after the 4-1 defeat in the derby against Union Berlin.
Hertha trainer Felix Magath carefully attempted to walk the fine line in the fan relationship. His motto was support for the players, but hope for an early rapprochement. “They didn’t agree with the action,” said Magath. This was “okay so far that the players resist the measure at the time,” emphasized the head coach.
Selke thanks fans for their support
But: In the next few days it should come to “that both groups come closer”. You have to “strengthen together against relegation”. Striker Selke greeted one hour after the final whistle via Twitter: “Thank you for your great support! Have a nice rest of the Sunday, Hertha fans!”
After the victory on Sunday, the Berliners are 15th in the table. four points ahead of VfB in relegation rank 16. The next opponent, Arminia Bielefeld, is 17th on the first direct relegation zone and is already six points behind.
In Stuttgart, the level of escalation is much deeper, despite the open dispute in the Olympic Stadium. The classifications of the VfB managers are correspondingly clear. “They can also be angry. Our task will be to get them on our side with every duel. They were completely in support, the whole time. They did an outstanding job. Criticism is understandable,” said sporting director Sven Mislintat.