One team, two faces: Hertha with a leadership problem
Hertha BSC's disappointed players had imagined the obligatory walk in front of the fans' stands differently. As Fabian Reese and Haris Tabakovic made their way to their own supporters with their heads down, Deyovaisio Zeefuik was still cowering in frustration somewhere in the center circle. Once again, the second-division soccer team had squandered a lead and had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Hannover 96 after leading 2-0 at one stage. "We messed it up ourselves," summed up coach Pal Dardai.
Captain Toni Leistner's analysis was even clearer. "It sucks. We're in a development process and maybe we thought we were further along," grumbled the defensive boss after the third draw in a row. At this point, the central defender did not yet realize that he had suffered a muscle injury in his thigh and would probably be out against Elversberg. "It doesn't look good," said Dardai.
Instead of keeping up with the top places in the table, Berlin are bobbing around somewhere in mid-table in the tight 2nd division. Particularly bitter: As against Nuremberg and Karlsruhe, the capital team squandered a lead. Hertha have a leadership problem. Remarkable: If the whistle had been blown after the first half this season, Hertha would now be top of the table.
Leistner criticizes the defence
For one half, it was classic Pal Dardai soccer. Compact and aggressive in defense, and effective in attack thanks to goalscorers Florian Niederlechner and Pascal Klemens. But once again, the team acted carelessly and passively with a lead behind them. The Herthans were particularly annoyed when Phil Neumann, who had the ball at his feet and was able to run almost unchallenged through all parts of the Berlin team, scored the final goal.
"It's annoying that we concede goals like that," said Leistner and criticized his team's poor defensive performance: "The Hannover player runs behind the halfway line and we didn't manage to stop him. We have to do better at that".
Dardai: "That's amateurish"
Consistency is lacking in Berlin's play. 90 minutes at the top level? Not at all. Even winger Reese, who once again played a key role in Berlin's point with two assists, cannot win a game single-handedly. "Individual quality is one thing, team unity is another," said Reese.
24 goals conceded in 14 games is too many for a team aiming for direct promotion back to the Bundesliga. In defense, Hertha give away gifts almost every week and the goals they concede often come out of nowhere.
The quality of the individual players is undisputed, but goals conceded can only be prevented collectively. "That's amateurish. The same thing every time. The defenders need to start defending a bit more consistently," Dardai demanded once again.
Hertha BSC's upcoming opponents in Bundesliga 2 might see an opportunity to capitalize on their current defensive struggles, as the team has conceded 24 goals in just 14 games. Despite individual talent, coach Pal Dardai emphasizes the need for collective defensive efforts to prevent such goals.
Following their lackluster performance against Hannover 96, where they conceded after a careless lapse in defense, captain Toni Leistner expressed disappointment and highlighted the need for improvement in stopping opponents from breaking through their lines in Bundesliga 2.
Source: www.dpa.com
