German Debate: Are Hertha Berlin The Real Deal?

So… why are Hertha so good?  The answer is simple: they aren’t.  Rather, they are effective.  In a Bundesliga that emphasizes offensive tactics such as those employed by Thomas Schaaf, Juergen Klinsmann, Martin Jol, Felix Magath and Ralf Rangnick, Hertha are the odd men out: Lucien Favre’s system features a “defence first” approach to the game.  Instead of trying to outgun the Bundesliga’s best offences with his star-deficient squad, Favre has opted to try to hold opposing offences and hope that his strikers capitalise on their few opportunities: after all, Hertha are German—read: not an Eredivisie team—and should play like Germans. 

Among the top four, Hertha have scored the least (23) goals and are tied with Leverkusen for fewest (19) goals conceded.  Their goal difference (four) pales in comparison to those of Leverkusen (13), Bayern (14), and Hoffenheim (20).  And yet, Hertha sit just one point behind the Bavarians and four points from first place.  But how so?  Unlike so many others—Klinsmann take notice—Germany’s Old Lady is able to hold a slim lead and win matches by the margin of 1-0; in fact, Hertha recorded that very score in Leverkusen and at home against Hoffenheim.   

What’s more, Hertha are able to win matches they deserve to lose.  Take, for instance, their 1-0 win in Moenchengladbach in late September: Oliver Neuville hit the post twice, and the home team had several more shots on goal, but an early goal from Gojko Kacar was enough for Hertha.  The situation was even more extreme in Leverkusen; Hertha lost possession by a 2-1 margin, and took just six shots to Leverkusen’s 27, but won thanks to an 89^th minute goal from Andriy Voronin.  Similar were the situations in wins against Stuttgart (2-1), Hannover (3-0, 1-0 after 80’) and Bochum (3-2). 

Setting aside 5-1 and 4-1 thrashings against Bremen and Bayern, respectively, Hertha’s defence has arguably been the best in the Bundesliga, along with that of Schalke.  As is the case with the rest of their roster, a close look at the Hertha back line does little to explain their quality: centre-halves Josip Simunic and Arne Friedrich are good, but hardly make up the classiest pairing in a star-studded Bundesliga cast that includes Lucio, Martin Demichelis, Marcelo Bordon, Pedro Geromel, Per Mertesacker and Naldo.  In watching them play, I will grand Friedrich and Simunic this: they work phenomenally well together and, unlike their more adventurous Bundesliga counterparts—Lucio, Naldo and Heiko Westermann take notice—are never caught out of position. 

Perhaps it is their defensive consistency that separates Hertha from most of their fellow Bundesliga teams: upon the shoulders of their omnipresent and mostly potent defence, Hertha Berlin have built a team of title contenders, keeping in mind the traditional hallmarks of German football: defence, efficiency, and desire to win.  Success this season would signify a rare victory for classic German football, and would go far towards resurrecting an often-overlooked style of play.  Long-time Bundesliga fans, rejoice and embrace the neu alte Alte Dame!  

Clark Whitney, Goal.com