Hertha BSC in need: Only Tolga Cigerci’s debut gives hope

During training the day after, it was much fuller than usual. That was because Sandro Schwarz, the coach of Hertha BSC, had already played three at half-time the day before in the 0:3 (0:2) defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt player and consequently also three players. When the reservists trained on Sunday morning, three players from the starting XI were on the pitch. And the ones they replaced in the second half. Only Tolga Cigerci was missing. “Shoulder,” said Black. “But nothing bad.”

Of course, that would have suited the already awkward situation at Hertha BSC. The only player the club signed in dire need of relegation and at the last minute on the so-called deadline day is playing his first game for the Berlin Bundesliga team – and then falls out for the time being.

Tolga Cigerci, 30 years old and a defensive midfielder, was considered a beacon of hope even before his debut for Hertha. At least his first 45 minutes on the soccer field don’t let this hope appear completely unrealistic.

It was a promising comeback for the Turkish national player, who had been under contract with the Berliners from 2013 to 2016. If anything can be promising after a 0:3 defeat and a further aggravation of the situation in the relegation battle.

He did it very, very well.

Hertha coach Sandro Schwarz about the debut of Tolga Cigerci

In general, it was even expected that Cigerci would be in the starting eleven in Frankfurt just four days after his commitment – although he “logically” could not yet be involved in the team’s tactical processes, as Sandro Schwarz had said. When Hertha’s coach then realized in the first half that the midfielders, who have been playing for the club since at least the summer, were also not involved in the team’s tactical processes, he had no choice but to send the Turkish international onto the field.

“The first half was disappointing,” said Schwarz. In the second half, he not only made three changes, he also changed the system. And the structural change had a positive impact. The Berliners seemed more stable, better balanced and were also much more dangerous offensively after they hadn’t created a single compelling chance before the break. It was all down to Tolga Cigerci.

In the new formation, a 3-5-2, Cigerci occupied the position for which he had been called: that of the six. The 30-year-old brings a lot to this role: he has the necessary charisma and has an open mind. He understands the game, thinks strategically and is still robust. With Cigerci, Hertha had a completely different presence on the pitch. “He did it very, very well,” said Schwarz.

The fact that Cigerci was able to shine right away on his comeback for Hertha is of course also due to the basis of comparison: the players that Schwarz have previously had available for headquarters. Lucas Tousart played on the six against Eintracht in the first half. Before he was substituted ten minutes before the end, he had 47 ball contacts. Cigerci was down just one in 45 minutes.

Cigerci radiated presence

The scene before Frankfurt made it 2-0, when he tried in vain to catch Jesper Lindström, was emblematic of the Frenchman’s performance. He got into a running duel that he couldn’t win.

Of all of Hertha’s central midfielders, only Cigerci (81 percent) had an above-average passing rate. Tousart (73), Jean-Paul Boetius (72) and Suat Serdar (71) were well behind. In terms of pass efficiency, which calculates the probability of a pass arriving at the recipient, Cigerci had the best value of all Berliners.

The two eights Serdar (33 ball contacts in 90 minutes) and Boetius (28 until the break) radiated no presence. And Boetius is increasingly becoming a security risk. Before the penalty, which put Frankfurt in the lead, he played a bad pass in midfield without any pressure. Such scenes could already be seen at the training camp in Florida. The Dutchman kept making mistakes in the friendly against Millonarios FC and it’s no different in the Bundesliga.

So the Berliners have lost all balance. They are vulnerable at the back, harmless at the front. From the first four games in 2023 there are four defeats, with 1:13 goals. Before the winter break, Hertha conceded an average of 1.35 goals per game, this year it is 3.25. Before the winter break, Hertha had the third-best goal difference (minus three) of the nine teams in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table, currently it is the third-worst (minus fifteen).

It’s all because the team has lost its center. Only those who master the center can dominate the game.

With Tolga Cigerci, Hertha now has at least one player who embodies a certain claim to power, who also wants to enforce things when in doubt. Like his free kick from a good 25 meters away, which Kevin Trapp had to use both fists to defend against. Frankfurt’s goalkeeper directed the ball to the corner. It was Hertha’s first and only goal of the entire game after 82 minutes.