Teams | November 22, 2014 at 06:01 PM
KICK OFF!
KICK OFF!
Hertha legend "Zecke" previews Hertha's Bundesliga games! This time: 1. FC Köln away on matchday 12.
Berlin - Every football club has its legend. Without doubt Hertha BSC's is Andreas "Zecke" Neuendorf. He has blue and white blood coursing through his veins. He has been at Hertha for 15 years, making 278 appearances, scoring 28 goals in the process. Everyone knows he has his heart in the right place and is a true "Berliner" if ever there was one. This season Zecke has become a "football pensioner" working within the club since hanging up his boots last term. He is still very opinionated and will tell us all how he sees his beloved Hertha's games going before each matchday in the 2014/15 season. No doubt he will play with his cards on the table. He will be honest, open and probably sometimes a little tongue in cheek - typical "Zecke"! So what does that mean for opponents? Watch out! "Zecke" will pull no punches and take no prisoners as he tells it as it is... Read here his thoughts ahead of Bundesliga matchday 12.
"So we are away to Köln on Saturday evening on Bundesliga matchday 12. We can look forward to a floodlit game in a carnival atmosphere. If however we view the facts, we can’t exactly expect a football feast, as the third worst home team play the worst away team in the Bundesliga. It will not be pretty, but then again nobody expects it to be! The question is: Who will make the decisive mistake and who will produce the most grit and bite to decide the game in their favour?
Will, bite, effort and discipline were all visible during training this week. I watched a few sessions myself. Whoever saw our lads getting stuck in has no reason to fear what will happen in Köln.
Köln have collected 15 points since winning promotion last season – an impressive record. They have an intact team free of any kind of pressure. They are simply an uncomfortable opponent who struggle when they have to take the game to the opposition. They don’t have to do that away from home, which is why they have a better away record than Bayern. At home though they struggle as their record of only one win so far underlines. That is our big chance. We can beat them with their own weapon of choice – counter attacking football.
The brak for international games saw the return to fitness of Nico Schulz, Julian Schieber and Änis Ben-Hatira, all of whom are capable of deciding a game on their own. Of course it will take a tight team performance. Everyone and I mean every single player will have to help out up front and at the back and annoy the opposition, force them into making mistakes. And then? Hit them where it hurts – in the back of their net. Stats show that we convert the majority of our big chances. I hope we can prove that and finally end our nightmare away run.
So on Saturday evening: Operation 'away win'. I believe in the lads and know you all do too! Hahohe!"
(rd,zn,ph/City-Press)
"So we are away to Köln on Saturday evening on Bundesliga matchday 12. We can look forward to a floodlit game in a carnival atmosphere. If however we view the facts, we can’t exactly expect a football feast, as the third worst home team play the worst away team in the Bundesliga. It will not be pretty, but then again nobody expects it to be! The question is: Who will make the decisive mistake and who will produce the most grit and bite to decide the game in their favour?
Will, bite, effort and discipline were all visible during training this week. I watched a few sessions myself. Whoever saw our lads getting stuck in has no reason to fear what will happen in Köln.
Köln have collected 15 points since winning promotion last season – an impressive record. They have an intact team free of any kind of pressure. They are simply an uncomfortable opponent who struggle when they have to take the game to the opposition. They don’t have to do that away from home, which is why they have a better away record than Bayern. At home though they struggle as their record of only one win so far underlines. That is our big chance. We can beat them with their own weapon of choice – counter attacking football.
The brak for international games saw the return to fitness of Nico Schulz, Julian Schieber and Änis Ben-Hatira, all of whom are capable of deciding a game on their own. Of course it will take a tight team performance. Everyone and I mean every single player will have to help out up front and at the back and annoy the opposition, force them into making mistakes. And then? Hit them where it hurts – in the back of their net. Stats show that we convert the majority of our big chances. I hope we can prove that and finally end our nightmare away run.
So on Saturday evening: Operation 'away win'. I believe in the lads and know you all do too! Hahohe!"
(rd,zn,ph/City-Press)