Battle of the miracle runners

Vladimir Darida knows everything about Freiburg, running and scoring goals against his former club.

Berlin – Hardly anyone runs as much as Vladimir Darida, who covers a distance of 12.3 kilometres per game on average, but Freiburg also have players with this ability. The past matchday, they ran a combined distance of 125.5 kilometres against record champions FC Bayern, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Darida used to play for SCF. “I didn’t learn this ability in Freiburg, I already ran a lot when I was playing in Plzen,” laughed the Czech international, who joined Hertha in 2015 after two years in Freiburg. “They always give everything and are really hard working, which demands a high running effort,” said Darida, showcasing his expertise on Freiburg’s game plan.

Insider knowledge for the tactical analysis

Darida’s inside knowledge is now being used to prepare Hertha for their start to the second half of the season on Sunday in Freiburg. “When I left the club, several other starting players also left. But I already spoke with Rainer Widmayer and gave him some pointers for the tactical analysis,” revealed Darida, who already knows how to overcome Freiburg’s defence. In their first encounter on matchday 1, Darida had provided the 1-0 opener and later celebrated a last-minute victory from Julian Schieber’s winner. Darida has yet to add more goals to his tally since then - a fact he’s looking to change very soon. “I want to stay healthy in the second half of the season and play every game if I can.”

Breakthrough in the second half of the season

A ligament injury saw Darida miss nine games in the first half of the campaign but he doesn’t view the second half of the season as a fresh start for him. “I already played a few games before the winter break and I was always close to the team, that’s why my season started in August,” explained Darida, who nonetheless has big goals for the second half of the Bundesliga season. Apart from covering a lot of ground, the Czech international is also looking to improve his scoring output. “I want to score six more goals,” he said. He would preferably get off to a quick start against his former club. “It would be great to score against them again, but I wouldn’t make a big show out of it,” he said. “Playing against Freiburg is a special game,” Darida acknowledged, especially since this will be the first time that Darida will play against his former club in Freiburg.

Berlin – Hardly anyone runs as much as Vladimir Darida, who covers a distance of 12.3 kilometres per game on average, but Freiburg also have players with this ability. The past matchday, they ran a combined distance of 125.5 kilometres against record champions FC Bayern, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Darida used to play for SCF. “I didn’t learn this ability in Freiburg, I already ran a lot when I was playing in Plzen,” laughed the Czech international, who joined Hertha in 2015 after two years in Freiburg. “They always give everything and are really hard working, which demands a high running effort,” said Darida, showcasing his expertise on Freiburg’s game plan.

Insider knowledge for the tactical analysis

Darida’s inside knowledge is now being used to prepare Hertha for their start to the second half of the season on Sunday in Freiburg. “When I left the club, several other starting players also left. But I already spoke with Rainer Widmayer and gave him some pointers for the tactical analysis,” revealed Darida, who already knows how to overcome Freiburg’s defence. In their first encounter on matchday 1, Darida had provided the 1-0 opener and later celebrated a last-minute victory from Julian Schieber’s winner. Darida has yet to add more goals to his tally since then - a fact he’s looking to change very soon. “I want to stay healthy in the second half of the season and play every game if I can.”

Breakthrough in the second half of the season

A ligament injury saw Darida miss nine games in the first half of the campaign but he doesn’t view the second half of the season as a fresh start for him. “I already played a few games before the winter break and I was always close to the team, that’s why my season started in August,” explained Darida, who nonetheless has big goals for the second half of the Bundesliga season. Apart from covering a lot of ground, the Czech international is also looking to improve his scoring output. “I want to score six more goals,” he said. He would preferably get off to a quick start against his former club. “It would be great to score against them again, but I wouldn’t make a big show out of it,” he said. “Playing against Freiburg is a special game,” Darida acknowledged, especially since this will be the first time that Darida will play against his former club in Freiburg.