Florian Niederlechner moved from tranquil Augsburg to Berlin this winter. When choosing his new job, he must have factored in the fact that things will be a bit more turbulent there. But as so often: The reality in Berlin – or better: at Hertha BSC – is still a bit harder than the imagination. “He already knew: Hertha can get restless,” says Sandro Schwarz, the coach of the Berlin Bundesliga team. “But the fact that it’s like that was of course also new for him.”
On the open-ended Richter scale for sporting earthquakes, Hertha has once again achieved record values in the past few days: three defeats from the first three games of the year, falling to a relegation zone and finally the dismissal of sports director Fredi Bobic three days before the end of the winter transfer period. “They were wild days,” says coach Schwarz.
And yet: Florian Niederlechner, 32 years old, steeled in the relegation battle, is considered sufficiently robust for the challenges that now lie ahead of him. “You can tell that he is willing to march ahead with performance,” says Schwarz. “He has a great character, great behavior on the pitch, fires everything for the team.”
The same applies to the second newcomer of the winter, who, unlike Niederlechner, even already knows Berlin and Hertha. Tolga Cigerci, 30, was under contract with the Berliners from September 2013 to August 2016. That played a not inconsiderable role in his commitment.
In the current situation, Hertha needs players who can help immediately and give support to the last stumbling team. Cigerci is “a player who doesn’t need a long period of adjustment,” says Benjamin Weber, who has been the club’s sports director since Sunday and had to pass his first real test with the handling of the transfer period. “He knows the Bundesliga, he knows the club, he knows the city, he’s experienced.”
Hertha made the transfer perfect on Tuesday afternoon. Cigerci has been given a contract until the end of next season. For this, the Berliners have to transfer almost half a million euros to his previous club, the Turkish first division club Ankaragücü.
The transfer offensive that some had hoped for at and for Hertha did not materialize. The media coverage was even more about what had gone wrong than about what the club had been able to do.
He always wants to have the ball, is a strong runner and has a strategic mindset.
Coach Sandro Schwarz about Tolga Cigerci
Even Sandro Schwarz admits “that the head coach has one or the other idea”, which has not been realized. But: “This is the group now. You can’t change anything anymore.”
In all probability, Tolga Cigerci will play an important role in this group. The fact that Hertha has signed a central midfielder, although there is no lack of central midfielders in the squad, says a lot.
Apparently, Schwarz has been missing important qualities in his portfolio so far. A strategic six, which not only plugs holes but also structures the game from the depths, was missing. He’s been missing for a long time.
Cigerci, who will suitably wear shirt number 6, trained with his new colleagues for the first time on Wednesday. “He always wants to have the ball, is a strong runner and has a strategic mind,” says Schwarz. “That was very clear in the team’s tactical training session.” Hertha’s coach also praised the personality and mentality of the Turkish national player.
Cigerci is in the rhythm of the game
In Ankara, Cigerci was captain and leading player; he has already played four league games this year. “He’s in full possession of his strength, he’s in rhythm,” says Schwarz, “but logically he wasn’t quite into the tactical processes yet.” In this respect, Hertha’s coach has remained open as to whether Cigerci will already play on Saturday, in the difficult away game against Eintracht Frankfurt (3.30 p.m., live on Sky), will be in the starting eleven.
A change in the basic tactical order would also be possible, if not against Frankfurt, then at least sometime in the next few weeks. “If you have very good central midfielders and one or the other position on the wing is not optimally occupied,” says Schwarz, then that is definitely an option.
Chidera Ejuke will be absent from Hertha for the foreseeable future, Myziane Maolida was loaned to Stade Reims on the last day of the transfer period. Black could switch from the previous 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 with designated wingers to a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield. To try this variant against Eintracht Frankfurt for the first time in practice would be a bit very risky.
They only showed last weekend that they rightly belong to the extended top group of the league when they fought for a point against record champions Bayern Munich – after being 1-0 down at the break.
Eintracht have only lost one of their last twelve competitive games, and coach Oliver Glasner’s team has been unbeaten since the end of October. On Thursday, Sandro Schwarz was asked how the Frankfurt team should be played. “I think examples are relatively difficult,” he replied. “You must fight them.”
Source: Tagesspiegel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
