Hertha Berlin has been struggling since the dismissal of one of their most successful managers Pál Dárdai. He took charge of Hertha Berlin in 2015 after the club finished 15th in the Bundesliga, one place off of the relegation playoff.
But in Pál Dárdai’s first season he guided The Old Lady to 7th place, their highest finish since the 2008-2009 season. They have recently re-appointed Pál Dárdai who is yet to get a win since his return but was his departure the downfall of Hertha Berlin?
What’s Been Going Wrong for Hertha Berlin?
Transfers
Hertha Berlin has bought 65 players since the 2016/17 season when they finished 6th. This cycle has led to a massive problem for the club because they haven’t had many familiar faces at the club. Since their successful season, the German club hasn’t had a player score more than 15 goals since the 2013/2014 campaign, where Adrián Ramos scored 16 goals.
By not having a player who can consistently score goals means Hertha Berlin have struggled most seasons. This is due to not having that one player who can get the results and score the goals.
Managerial Consistency
Hertha Berlin has had seven managers since 2012, the highest they have finished since then is 6th in the Bundesliga. A failure to have a manager for more than three seasons has really damaged Hertha Berlin’s future as a club, not having a manager for a long time means that the club will struggle to keep players due to having different mangers wanting different players and wanting to play different tactics that the players who are at the club don’t know how to play and as a result get sold.
The Potential That Hertha Berlin Have
The German side does have good players like Matheus Cunha who has been on fire for struggling Hertha Berlin. In 19 appearances he has seven goals and seven assists, contributing to 14 goals in 19 games.
They also have Dodi Lukebakio who impressed last season managing to score eight goals and assist eight times. Hertha Berlin has many other great players like Jhon Córdoba, Krzysztof Piatek and club captain Dedryck Boyata.
Hertha Berlin also has Arsenal midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi on loan, but the young midfielder found consistent game time at Arsenal hard to come by and started to train by himself. But in Germany, Guendouzi has thrived in the Hertha Berlin midfield really solidifying his place in the midfield. The young French midfielder has made 15 appearances for Hertha Berlin this season.
With Hertha Berlin signing experienced World Cup and Champions League winner Sami Khedira to their team, this will bring much-needed experience. By signing Sami Khedira they have someone who has played 161 games for Real Madrid, 145 times for Juventus and capped 77 times for his country Germany.
Sami Khedira is a great signing for Hertha Berlin and he can help grind out much-needed results for the club who have only won one game since the start of the New Year, with their only win coming against struggling bottom of the league Schalke.
Finding a System That Works
Hertha Berlin has struggled this season, only winning four games all season, the second least amount in the league. The only team to register fewer wins is bottom of the league Schalke.
Hertha has failed to register back to back wins in the league. Losing games heavily is a common thing for them this season. Having been on the wrong end of some heavy results: losing 4-1 to SC Freiburg, 4-1 again to Werder Bremen and then 5-2 to Erling Halaand‘s Borussia Dortmund.
What Hertha Berlin need to do is find a system that works and stick to it. Hertha Berlin has struggled to find a system that works for them. Lacking consistency has been a massive problem for Hertha Berlin. They have only won one out of their last ten games, drawing three and losing six.
If Hertha can find a system that works for them there is no reason for them not to break away from the relegation battle. They have the players, they have a manager that knows the club well and knows what to do to get the best out of the players.
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