Bundesliga Season Preview: Hertha Berlin

The capital club do not lack ambition and are looking to propel themselves into the top five this season.  However, after two seasons of mid-table mediocrity, the pressure is on trainer Lucien Favre to take the club forward.

‘Old Lady’ With Ambition

The previous two Bundesliga seasons have seen ‘die Alte Dame’ finish 10th on both occasions and the club’s hierarchy are now targeting a top five finish and Uefa Cup qualification.  Hertha qualified for Europe last season courtesy of the Fair Play ranking, but the goal this time around is to qualify in their own right.

Last season saw a bright start for the Berliners with the club sitting fifth after the first seven matches and they looked on course to challenge for a European berth, but their form fell away and they slid down the table and ultimately finished tenth again.

They possessed the fifth best defence in the Bundesliga last season with Lucien Favre making them harder to beat, but the main deficit with Hertha was the over-reliance on Serbian striker Marko Pantelic for their goals.  He hit 13 last season to take his Bundesliga tally to 38 in 88 games making him the third most prolific striker over the past three seasons behind Mario Gomez and Kevin Kuranyi.

The next highest scorers in the team were Chahed, Raffael and Okoronkwo with four apiece.  Should Pantelic be injured it is difficult to see where the goal threat is going to come from.  Brazilian Raffael needs to step up his performances and Favre will be hoping that new signing Chermiti can settle quickly and contribute.

Last summer saw a lot of players leaving the club with the likes of Yildiray Bastürk, Ashkan Dejagah, and the Boateng brothers all quitting Berlin.  Full backs Gilberto and Fathi then left during the January transfer window.  However this summer has seen some arrivals at the club with only fringe players leaving.

Full back Marc Stein has arrived on a free from relegated Hansa Rostock.  Three Brazilians have also been signed in an attempt to strengthen the squad.  Centre back Kaka has come in from Academica Coimbra for €1.9 million while fellow defender Rodnei has signed from Jagielllonia Bialystok.  Midfielder Cicero completes the Brazilian triumvirate and much is expected from him this season.

27 year old Tunisian international striker Mohamed Chermiti has been signed from Etoile Sportive du Sahel in a move to add support to an over-burdened Marko Pantelic.  The final signing, Maximillian Nicu, from Wiesbaden will provide cover for both full back positions.

Czech keeper Jaroslav Drobny will retain the keeper’s jersey with Christian Fiedler providing back up.  The ever-reliable German international Arne Friedrich will organise the defence and he may have a new partner in Kaka rather than Croat Josip Simunic, who will see his role reduced to that as back-up this season.  Sofian Chahed has the right back berth sewn up and Marc Stein should begin as first choice at left back.  Swiss defender Steve von Bergen is another alternative in the back four.

A lot of hope this season is being placed on the midfield duo of Kacar and Cicero.  The Brazilian and the Serb have the potential, but have to turn that into performances.  Patrick Ebert will play on the right of midfield with Lukasz Piszczek an option on the other flank.  Brazilian Lucio will also get plenty of game time.

Marko Pantelic remains the number one striker at the club, but trainer Favre will be looking to both Raffael and Chermiti to chip in with a lot more goals.  Hertha also have young Bulgarian starlet Valeri Domovchiyski, who had the ‘honour’ of being the last player to score past the great Oliver Kahn in his final game of his glittering Bundesliga career.  

Coach: Lucien Favre

Stadium: Olympiastadion (74,400)

2007/08 Position: 10th

2007/08 Record: P-34 W-12 D-8 L-14 F-39 A-44 Pts-44

Players In: Marc Stein (Hansa Rostock), Kaka (Academica), Maximilian Nicu (SV Wehen Wiesbaden), Rodnei (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Cicero Santos (Fluminense), Mohamed Chermiti (Etoile Sportive du Sahel)

Players Out: Tobias Grahn (Tarragona-loan return), Rudolf Skacel (Southampton-loan return), Chinedu Ede (Duisburg), Pascal Bieler (Nürnberg), Andre Lima (Sao Paulo- loan), Mineiro (unknown), Andreas Schmidt (retired)

Possible Line-up: Drobny- Stein, Kaka, Friedrich, Chahed- Kacar, Cicero, Ebert, Piszczek- Raffael, Pantelic  

Prognosis:

Despite ambitious targets another season of mid-table football awaits Hertha.  Lucien Favre has ear-marked 2010 as the season to watch out for Hertha, but the club’s management will at least want to see an improvement on the previous two seasons.

Much will depend on whether a second source of goals can be found as the team rely too heavily on Marko Pantelic.  I sense a tough season ahead for Hertha and the pressure on Lucien Favre will increase. 

Prediction: 14th

Mathew Burt