Even the chants of “Korkut raus” – Korkut out – directed at the bench sounded apathetic. Hertha BSC are in serious trouble at the bottom of the Bundesliga and perhaps the worst of it is that hope seems to have left the stands of the cavernous Olympiastadion already.
Statistically speaking, there are still further depths to be plumbed. Saturday’s emphatic 4-1 defeat at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha’s fourth in a row in the Bundesliga, means they are still third-from-bottom and thus still not in the automatic relegation places, though Stuttgart’s rousing comeback from two goals down to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach means they are now only a single point adrift of the Berliners. Yet to describe this as a new low or to employ any associated clichés would just be a denial of the stark truth. Hertha are lost in a tangle of their own making and there doesn’t seem to be the energy to find a solution, or the fury to tear their way out, as things stand.
“Everyone here has to be pissed off enough to work their arses off for the three points,” blasted defender Marc-Oliver Kempf, who arrived just before the January transfer deadline and must feel like a kids’ party entertainer arriving midway through a food fight after the guests have each scoffed three packets of Tangfastics apiece. Coming from outside the bubble has clearly been a shock.
To say Hertha are yet to win in 2022 is factually correct, but doesn’t really provide the requisite detail of just how bad they’ve been. On Sunday morning Transfermarkt.de produced a table, much-discussed in the German media, of Hertha’s results in those last nine games, which make them the least successful team in all of Europe’s top five leagues over that period, with just two points and a goal difference of -18. The second-worst, Granada, who have taken three points in the same spell, fired their coach Robert Moreno on Sunday. In the whole of Tayfun Korkut’s time in charge – he took over in late November – the team have won two, lost eight and drawn three.
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What’s more is that the numbers probably flatter them, despite the coach’s frequent protestations that the manner of defeats have been harsh. A beating like this, from opponents that were organised but not exactly imperious (Ansgar Knauff’s goal was Eintracht’s first in 300 minutes), should be the straw that breaks the camel’s back but they’ve been here before. And in this calendar year. The humiliation at the hands of Leipzig in the last home game. The defeat at long-since-done Greuther Fürth. Being dumped out of the Pokal here by near neighbours Union, which led to fan protests. Berlin author and Hertha fan Lucas Vogelsang compared his team in a recent interview to “a man who falls from the 50th floor of a skyscraper and says to himself on the way down – so far it’s actually been going quite well”. What will it take to rouse Hertha?
It’s not money. Even if we were in a transfer window with the potential to reshape Hertha have shown their inability to spend effectively, having used nearly €400m of Lars Windhorst’s cash since summer 2019. Fredi Bobic is clearly reluctant to make another coaching change, even if there is little to suggest that Korkut has solutions to offer. Rafael Santos Borré’s fourth goal for the visitors on Saturday, precisely 73 seconds after Davie Selke’s belting shot offered the hosts a glimmer of hope, underlined how quickly rays of light are shut out in the current setup.
“Now would be the right time,” wrote Morgenpost’s Inga Böddeling. “Nine match days are left to reach the shore under your own steam. Or,” she continued, “to secure two extra games and the chance to stay up via the play-off.” That is how desperate things are now – that making the play-off against the third-placed team in Bundesliga 2 seems like one of the better scenarios. “In a situation like this,” recognised Korkut, “you can’t expect any declarations of love,” nodding towards the chants from the stands. More concerning, with or without Korkut, is the lack of fire on and off the pitch. A lot must change to avert what currently appears inevitable.
Talking points
Arminia Bielefeld 0-1 Augsburg, Stuttgart 3-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wolfsburg 1-0 Union Berlin, RB Leipzig 1-1 Freiburg, Hertha Berlin 1-4 Eintracht Frankfurt, Bochum 2-1 Greuther Fürth, Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen, Cologne 0-1 Hoffenheim.
• With that Stuttgart victory, the relegation battle is more open than ever. Sasa Kalajdzic’s late winner breathes new life into their charge, but Gladbach’s dressing room didn’t mince its words after a setback which keeps them firmly in the mix. “I think we deserved to lose today,” Yann Sommer told Sky. “They were a class above us in every respect.” Next up for Adi Hütter’s team is another Saturday Top (Bottom?)-Spiel – against Hertha.
📽️ An absolutely stunning comeback from @VfB_Int, turning around a two goal deficit to triumph 3-2 over @Borussia_EN!
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) March 5, 2022
A #Bundesliga classic. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/Q6ts0H3Kvz
• As the Bundesliga continued its anti-war demonstrations, it replaced the normal red and white Bundesliga logo on television graphics with a special blue and yellow one to represent the colours of Ukraine, while alternating Bayern Munich players, for example, wore blue or yellow track jackets as they observed the pre-kick-off minute of reflection by the centre circle. Match TV in Russia, meanwhile, superimposed the original Bundesliga logo over the version in support of Ukraine in their broadcasts.
The Bundesliga stands in solidarity with Ukraine, and wholeheartedly condemn any acts of war. #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) March 6, 2022
All those who wish to, can donate towards our efforts to support Ukraine here: https://t.co/Pv8bnKvYBr pic.twitter.com/8t8jqjVLU0
• After a Niklas Süle opener, Bayern were eventually held at home by Leverkusen, whose enterprising display perhaps earned the big slice of luck that they got for their equaliser, with Thomas Müller poking Kerem Demirbay’s inswinging free-kick into his own goal. The visiting players spoke of a missed opportunity afterwards, with Jeremie Frimpong missing a big opening near the end, the best of a number of possibilities created on the counter. “I’m not disappointed,” said coach Gerardo Seoane, “but when you see the chances we had, you think we could have done something more.”
• There was more potential good news for Leverkusen, with managing director Fernando Carro telling Bild’s Die Lage der Liga that he expects Florian Wirtz to stay for two more years – not just one – as he aims to seal his place in the Germany team for the home Euros. “We’re trying to keep him for as long as possible,” emphasised Carro, “but I assume he won’t leave before 2024.”
• Mainz v Borussia Dortmund was postponed after the home side reported 20 Covid infections within their first-team group, including 14 players and coach Bo Svensson. Sporting director Christian Heidel confirmed to Bild on Sunday that the club were trying to postpone Saturday’s scheduled game with Augsburg, and are expecting a quick decision from the league.
• Union Berlin fans had plenty to be irritated about by Saturday evening. They dominated at Wolfsburg but fell to a single-goal defeat, brought on by Taiwo Awoniyi’s unfortunate header into his own net, and the loss came at the hands of Max Kruse’s new team. The 2,500 travelling Berliners gave their former favourite a hot reception after his abrupt January exit – and a quite audible one in one of the Bundesliga’s, ahem, less fervent grounds – with a few rounds of “Max Kruse ist ein Hurensohn”, the popular chant to the tune of Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is A Place On Earth. Kruse’s response? To join in with the singing. Never change, Max.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 25 | 49 | 59 |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 24 | 27 | 50 |
| 3 | Bayer Leverkusen | 25 | 24 | 45 |
| 4 | Hoffenheim | 25 | 12 | 43 |
| 5 | RB Leipzig | 25 | 22 | 41 |
| 6 | Freiburg | 25 | 13 | 41 |
| 7 | Union Berlin | 25 | -1 | 37 |
| 8 | Cologne | 25 | -3 | 36 |
| 9 | Mainz | 24 | 6 | 34 |
| 10 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 25 | 0 | 34 |
| 11 | VfL Bochum | 25 | -8 | 32 |
| 12 | Wolfsburg | 25 | -10 | 31 |
| 13 | Borussia M'gladbach | 25 | -17 | 27 |
| 14 | Augsburg | 25 | -14 | 26 |
| 15 | Arminia Bielefeld | 25 | -11 | 25 |
| 16 | Hertha Berlin | 25 | -32 | 23 |
| 17 | Stuttgart | 25 | -16 | 22 |
| 18 | Greuther Furth | 25 | -41 | 14 |
