Teams | September 24, 2017 at 05:35 PM
A case of what could have been
A case of what could have been
Hertha BSC suffered their second loss of the season yesterday at the hands of Mainz 05. However, a draw was achievable at the least.
Mainz - “If you can’t win the game, then don’t lose it,” goes the old footballing saying. It’s a saying that reflects the mood of the Hertha players following the loss to Mainz perfectly. The loss on Saturday was not just frustrating. It was totally avoidable. “The game felt like it should have been a draw,” said Pál Dárdai after the final whistle of a game in which both teams cancelled eachother out, and chances were few and far between.
From a neutral perspective, it doesn’t sound like much of a spectacle, but it wasn’t so bad for the men from Berlin on matchday 6. It was a part of their plan to make it hard for their opponents in attack with a stout defensive performance, and then play out from the back. And for the most part, it worked. Hertha controlled the game despite being away from home, and had more possession and chances - especially in the first half. “We had everything under control in the first half, and were putting in a solid away performance,” stressed Dárdai. However, the coach did not deny the team’s deficiencies in the game against his former protégés. “We were too predictable in attack,” he said.
Valentin Stocker and Vedad Ibisevic both came close to getting Hertha on the scoresheet. First, Ibisevic made his 600th Bundesliga shot on goal off a fantastic pass from Mitchell Weiser, but it flashed past the post (67’). Then, Valentin Stocker had a go from distance, but Adler pulled out a save (83’). “We have to improve in terms of our aggression and confidence in front of goal more than anything,” said Dárdai. So far, so good - Hertha would have been happy to come back from Mainz with a point. However, they were already a goal down at this stage. De Blasis put the home side into the lead with his first shot on goal from the penalty spot. The penalty was given after Karim Rekik was deemed to have fouled Muto, but only after referee Tobias Stieler called upon the assistance of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). “When the referee and the (VAR) both think that it’s a penalty, then we have to accept the decision,” said Sebastian Langkamp. “I had the feeling that he ran into me, but it probably was the correct decision,” said Rekik. To make things worse, Hertha lost their captain Vedad Ibisevic at the beginning of added time, after he saw red after a conversation with the referee. “The referee has the right to make his own decisions, so we have to live with them,” said Dárdai.
Hertha do not want to get too upset over what is only their second loss of the season. After having Sunday off, the men from Berlin will begin their preparation for their Europa League meeting with Österkunds FK on Thursday. And only a few days later, they will welcome Bayern Munich to the Olympiastadion. “We have to recharge quickly, and put in a better performances,” demanded Dárdai. The missed opportunity on his return to the place where he began his coaching career was one thing above all else - avoidable.