Felix Magath meets an old acquaintance at Hertha. He has already worked successfully with right-back Peter Pekarik.
“I took on this task, I knew which squad was there and with this squad we will also manage to stay up.”
Hertha’s new coach Felix Magath promises the fans to stay up in the league and doesn’t look for any alibis. In Berlin, the experienced Magath meets familiar faces: The squad even includes a professional in Peter Pekarik (35), who won the championship together with Magath in 2009 with Wolfsburg.
In 2012, Pekarik went to Hertha – thanks to Magath’s support. The coach: “He asked me to release him for Hertha. I gave them the player for almost nothing.”
A real enrichment, the Slovak played 175 Bundesliga games in the Hertha jersey. Newcomers have been thrown at him for years – but in the end it is Pekarik who plays.
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As a Magath expert, he has a special function in the team. Because he knows from his own experience that Magath can lead a team to sensational performances and successes – even if the road to get there is tough.
Pekarik can explain to his colleagues what the new boss expects from the players. Or as Magath puts it ironically: “I think one or the other player has asked how nice it will be in the next few days.”
The pros can also ask young boss Pablo Thiam (48) – he appeared in ten games each for Stuttgart and Wolfsburg under Magath. And goalkeeper coach Andreas Menger (49) also knows the coach from his time at Frankfurt.