Fredi Bobic has plans with and without Pal Dardai

One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight. 1858 days. That is exactly how long Pal Dardai is now head coach of Hertha BSC, spread over two stages. And if Fredi Bobic has his way, the new sports director of the Berlin Bundesliga club, then Dardai can stay in office twice as long. At least that’s what he said in an interview that appeared on Monday in “Kicker”. Dardai has it in his own hands how long he has been a coach at Hertha. “That could even be ten years,” said Bobic. “Ultimately, it’s always down to the work someone does.”

Of course Bobic is right. Should Hertha qualify for the Champions League at the end of this season, Dardai will definitely remain a coach. But Hertha’s qualification for the Champions League seems, well, rather utopian at the moment. And then?

Dardai’s contract as coach of the professional team expires after this season. Many now consider it unlikely that it will be extended. Yes, it even seems far more plausible to them that Dardai has to leave before his contract term expires. In the past few days, after the harsh 6-0 defeat in Leipzig, everyone could hear and read that Hertha’s game against SC Freiburg this Saturday in the home Olympic Stadium (3:30 p.m., live on Sky) was the last for Dardai could be as head coach.

Such judgments follow the usual reflex that in the event of failure, the coach should be dismissed immediately; and apparently there is also a direct connection between the physical distance to Hertha and the degree of threat to Dardai’s job. Up close, the situation may be a little different. “I don’t feel anything about the so-called situation from the media,” Dardai said before the game against Freiburg.

Of course, the assumptions about Dardai’s safety in the workplace also play into the fact that he and Bobic have not yet succeeded in creating the impression of deep harmony. Hertha’s sports director has not only reprimanded the coach publicly once in the past few weeks. In an interview with the “kicker” he was also comparatively harsh.

In addition, when Bobic took office, it was said that he was actually flirting with another coach. “Hertha BSC has probably been looking for a great coach for a long time,” even Pal Dardai said. Such speculations are obviously not completely absurd. In the spring it was just not opportune to transfer Dardai back to the youth department after relegation.

But postponed is not canceled. There are some indications that Bobic wants to present a renowned coach for the 2021/22 season to give the Hertha BSC project, which has stalled somewhat, new momentum. He may even already know who this is supposed to be.

Pal Dardai is supposed to bring the season to a halfway accident-free end

This is exactly what could save Pal Dardai – among a few other reasons – from being released quickly for the time being. If Bobic had to react at short notice, it would thwart his master plan for the coming summer. He could not proceed strategically when filling the coaching position, but would have to take one of those coaches who happen to be on the market at the moment.

Pal Dardai is supposed to bring the season to a halfway accident-free end. The two victories against newly promoted Bochum and Fürth have shown that this is possible. Miracles are not expected of him. Of course, that doesn’t mean that from now on everything doesn’t matter and that the Hungarian has no consequences to fear. But Bobic has so far not attracted the attention of anyone with a shaky hand.

In his five years as head of sport at Eintracht Frankfurt, he never fired the coach. Bobic also repeatedly points out that Hertha’s unfortunate situation is not least due to the lack of continuity in the coaching position. He can hardly resort to this remedy himself in the first critical situation. And with which of the currently available coaches would there be a guarantee that he would get more out of the existing, somewhat crooked squad with more goalkeepers than offensive winger players than Dardai?
At home against Freiburg, that sounds like a mandatory win for many, but fails to realize that Freiburg are very convincing this season. The team is in fifth place, is the only one besides Bayern to be unbeaten this season and a week ago they beat FC Augsburg, an opponent of similar quality to Hertha, 3-0. “This is a game that can be done,” says Dardai. “You can win.”

But there can be no question of having to win. The judgment of Pal Dardai and his work will therefore not depend on the outcome alone. It also depends – especially after the sobering appearance in Leipzig a week ago – the attitude grade. Fredi Bobic expects the team “to be able to counter the fact that they are not easy so results. You have to feel a bit that resistance is there. “