Hertha's next stumbling start: Too little of everything
Lull instead of fireworks: Promotion candidate Hertha BSC showed for half a game in the 1:2 defeat at Schalke how it is not done in the 2. Bundesliga.
Little impact: Hertha's captain Fabian Reese (in a duel with Schalke's Vitalie Becker) achieved little – just like the entire team. IMAGO/Nordphoto
They thought they were prepared, but they weren't. "We're well prepared," Hertha's sporting director Benjamin Weber said before the business trip to Schalke. And coach Stefan Leitl declared: "Of course, I'd like to see fireworks. You don't clap for a rainbow, but rather for fireworks." Instead, his team got a cold shower at Schalke – and with the 1-2 defeat, their fifth consecutive opening defeat across all leagues since 2021 .
"We let ourselves be pushed into Schalke's football"A 2-0 deficit after 23 minutes, a lack of determination and aggression in the duels, far too easy turnovers in transitional play, a lack of penetration, weak set pieces: Hertha showed for 45 minutes at the start of the season exactly what it shouldn't be like in the 2. Bundesliga. "We completely slept through the first half and let Schalke's football get the better of us," said new captain Fabian Reese on Sky after the 2-1 defeat at his former club.
"We didn't implement our principles, our game plan, at all. The second half was okay, but nothing more." His sobering conclusion: "We never really got into our stride at any point in the game."
"Some were frightened by the scenery"Hertha knew what was coming – and yet found no way to counter it in the first half. "Anyone who knows the preparation and the coach knew exactly what to expect: lots of long balls, lots of second balls," said Hertha's defensive leader Toni Leistner . "Especially in the first half, we didn't get any second balls at all. We also didn't have the composure to process the second ball. We knew what was coming. Nevertheless, some were surprised and probably a bit scared in front of the crowd."
Leitl wasn't keen to admit that the atmosphere might have inhibited some of his players. "I don't agree with that," the coach explained. "With the exception of Julian Eitschberger and Sebastian Grönning, everyone has played here before. We completely slept through the first 20 minutes. We knew what was coming: lots of long balls, second balls, set pieces. Then you're 2-0 down, and that's when it gets difficult – especially because Schalke are then in transition situations."
A late and impressive goal by substitute Grönning briefly rekindled hopes of a draw. But in the end, the capital club suffered a defeat that Leistner rightly described as "deserved."
"We've now stumbled into the marathon"For the team, which is aiming for promotion and is considered by some experts to be the nominally strongest team in the 2. Bundesliga, it was a significant setback right from the start. Nothing is lost, but the nearly 99 minutes on Friday evening provided Hertha and Leitl with plenty of valuable insights to work on.
"Everyone knows it won't be decided on the first matchday. It won't be decided in the first ten matchdays either," said Leistner. "The whole thing is a marathon. We've stumbled into it a bit. That doesn't mean we're completely out." They're not completely out. But they have to improve significantly to even get into the promotion marathon.
