Karim Rekik - Zero to 100
Hertha’s winter break travelling plans 2017/18
The Blue-Whites are now on their well-earned break. Herthabsc.de has all the information about Hertha’s schedule for the New Year.
Berlin – Hertha BSC have had an eventful year – Finishing in sixth place in the Bundesliga, taking part in the Europa League and the 125-year anniversary celebrations.
Most of all, however, it has been a year of hard work for Hertha BSC. Pál Dárdai’s side have had 44 competitive matches since the end of Janaury 2017, 25 of them since the cup game in Rostock in the middle of August. “2017 has been a year with a lot of highlights, which has stretched not just the coaching team and the players but also the club as a whole to its limits,” Michael Preetz said.
Now the Blue-Whites have time to take a breather in the winter break and recharge their batteries for the second half of the season. After the wins in Leipzig and against Hannover, Hertha can recharge in a good mood – with 24 points and in 10th place in the Bundesliga.
As is well known, it is hard to cope without football. Firstly because the appeal of the game is heightened even more at Christmas time, with games still taking place across Europe and secondly because the second half of the season is close but yet so far. And in the second half of the season, after just a few football-free weeks, 17 tough tests await Pál Dárdai’s men.
Hertha will begin their preparations for these matches on the 2nd January from 15:00 CET.
Training plans for the winter break
Unlike in previous years, the Hertha players do not have the whole of the winter break off. “We have given the team a bit of work to do at home as always,” head coach Pál Dárdai said with a chuckle.
The boys do have the Christmas period off. “All the players have been given individual training tasks, in order to maintain the basic level of stamina and strength.
They will also have agility exercises to carry out,” athletic coach Henrik Kuchno said.Dárdai and his coaching staff have ten days from the first training session of 2018 to put the finishing touches to the team’s preparations for the first game after the winter break against VfB Stuttgart (13.01).
In the first week of the year, there will be two training sessions on Wednesday and Thursday (10:00 and 14:30 CET) and one on Friday (13:00 CET). A week before matchday 18, the boys will face a tough test at the Wintercup in Arminia Bielefeld (06.01).
Hertha BSC face 1. FC Köln from 15:50 CET after the hosts and Hannover 96 play in the tournament’s curtain-raiser. The games will consist of two 30-minute halves. The teams will then play a final and a third place play-off.