For many years, when Werder Bremen and Hertha BSC Berlin faced each other, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
For many years, when Werder Bremen and Hertha BSC Berlin faced each other, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
For many years, when Werder Bremen and Hertha BSC Berlin faced each other, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Whether the Preussen club travelled to the Weser or the Bremen side paid the capital a visit the result was always the same – the points, almost always, remained with the hosts. In 1979, Werder managed a win at the Olympia Stadium for the very first time – it was their 13th visit to Berlin. Hertha, on the other hand, had to wait some twenty years longer before they could take all three points from Bremen. Following their re-promotion to the top flight, Hertha won 2:0 in Bremen in November 1997. With that in mind, Werder’s home record against this Saturday’s opponents (20.10.2007) is a very positive one with 18 wins from 26 meetings. The down side to this is that all four wins for Hertha in Bremen have come in the last ten years.
The ups and downs
“Hertha is a team with massive variations in their performances. That goes for the positive as well as the games that they find themselves having great difficulties in. That makes it very difficult for us to assess exactly how good, or bad, they really are.” The coach doesn’t necessarily mean an assessment of recent years, but if the cap fits...The four defeats against Hertha are balanced against six very clear wins such as the 4:0 and 6:1 (cup) from the double winning season as well as last December’s 3:1 win. Schaaf meant of course Berlin’s more recent results. The club have found it hard to settle and lack consistency. Hertha made a good start to the season and by the sixth match day were in second place in the table with four wins to their credit. Then the slide began with defeats at home to Hansa Rostock (1:3) and at Schalke (1:0). The last game was a 0:0 draw with Cottbus at the Olympia Stadium – a game in which Marko Pantelic hammered a penalty against the crossbar in added time.
This was the first share of the spoils all season with otherwise only all or nothing going their way. Ninth place in the table is not exactly what is expected from the capitals only representatives in the first division. The position would been that despite a huge number of comings and goings, including the arrival of new trainer Lucien Favre, little has changed in the clubs fortunes. Last season Hertha finished in tenth place and the new coach was brought in as a man with an attacking style of play in mind. Along with the coach, in came goal keeper Jaroslav Drobny (Bochum), defenders Steve von Bergen (from Favres Ex-club FC Zurich), the midfield men Tobias Grahn (Tarragona), Lucio (Palmeiras Sao Paolo) und Fabian Lustenberger (Luzern), as well as striker André Lima (Botafogo Rio de Janeiro) but so far there are only eleven goals to the good for Hertha, ten less than Bremen.
Clear philosophy
Not just for that reason does Favre see his up-coming opponent as a role model: “Werder play very good football. They have a very clear philosophy and are well prepared for the future.” For the near future, Saturday that is, the BSC coach has a plan in mind: “I saw Werder against Duisburg and Bielefeld, that was impressive but we are not a hopeless case.” Werder coach Schaaf agrees and warned: “Hertha have shown their ability and speed on the break. With very few ball contacts they can by-pass the entire field of play.” That is something that Werder will have to prevent if they are to avoid a lot of tiring leg work. The Werder coach sees his opposite number as having another important plus on his side on Saturday: “He has almost his complete squad available to him”. Only Lucio, who is out with a cruciate ligament tear, will have to be replaced.
Although the personnel situation in Bremen is improving, there is still a long way to go before Thomas Schaaf will be in a similar position. Sebastian Boenisch, Carlos Alberto, Ivan Klasnic, Aaron Hunt and Patrick Owomoyela are all at very different stages of recovery whilst Pierre Womé will have to wait a considerably longer period for his return. Still, general manager Klaus Allofs has great expectations: “We always play to win. Despite our difficult personnel situation we have not changed our goals.” Quite the opposite: “We had a poor start but in spite of that we are now in third place – all that means we have to do more now. We still intend to be in the battle for the title.” Which means a win is a must against ‘Yo-Yo’ Hertha BSC Berlin.
Johnnie Muldoon
