Competition for places high ahead of Hamburg clash

Tuesday saw Pal Dárdai and the Hertha boys start their preparations for this weekend’s game away at Hamburg. Early signs suggest the Hertha boss will have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Berlin- There was a fun and jovial atmosphere at Schenckendorffplatz on Tuesday as Hertha kick off their pre-Hamburg week. Salomon Kalou and Vedad Ibisevic were in good spirits, taking time out to photobomb a photo of a group of Berlin school children with Mitchell Weiser and Ondrej Duda. There seemed to be no carry over from the frustrating figures the players had cut at the weekend after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Freiburg – the fourth time in a row Hertha had failed to score in the Bundesliga.

The goals haven’t moved though and Pal Dárdai kept the targets up after training on Tuesday to make sure his boys are ready for Saturday. Following yesterday’s first training session, Dárdai said how he had tried a different training approach with his team. We changed the methods up a bit and played a few more vertical balls, and had a look at how the boys reacted to that. I have not been seeing that much in our play of late and that’s been taking away some of the options the boys had on the pitch.”

Up next: A feisty HSV with a new manager.

It’s no secret that the upcoming opponents are in a tricky situation at the moment. The Rothosen have failed to win any of their last 13 Bundesliga games. Most recently, they haven’t scored in their last three matches. However, Niklas Stark has no doubt that the capital club will face a tough match. “Past matches in Hamburg have always been challenging. We can’t give them any chances, right from kick-off.” The fact that HSV changed their coach on Monday (12th March) won’t make the match any easier. Hertha’s head coach Dárdai says: “They have a new coach with a new philosophy and perhaps a new fundamental strategy. We have to analyse that, but we’ll be paying focusing on our game, not on HSV.”

Everyone on board

Dárdai is currently spoilt for choice with regard to a starting line-up to face Hamburg – with the exception of Palko Dárdai, who continues to suffer from a muscle strain. Competition for the midfield places is hotter than ever. Per Skjelbred has been on the bench for the last few weeks. It’s an unfamiliar situation for the Norwegian player, who said: “For the last few years, I’ve always played when I’ve been fit. All I can do now is train hard and wait for my chance,” says the former Hamburg player.

He will have the chance to impress in training several times this week. There are two training sessions on the schedule for Wednesday (14th March). The morning open training session will take place at 10:00 CET, before a session in the gym in the afternoon. The team will then train behind closed doors on Thursday and Friday, before hopefully putting in a solid performance in Hamburg on Saturday (17th March).

Berlin- There was a fun and jovial atmosphere at Schenckendorffplatz on Tuesday as Hertha kick off their pre-Hamburg week. Salomon Kalou and Vedad Ibisevic were in good spirits, taking time out to photobomb a photo of a group of Berlin school children with Mitchell Weiser and Ondrej Duda. There seemed to be no carry over from the frustrating figures the players had cut at the weekend after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Freiburg – the fourth time in a row Hertha had failed to score in the Bundesliga.

The goals haven’t moved though and Pal Dárdai kept the targets up after training on Tuesday to make sure his boys are ready for Saturday. Following yesterday’s first training session, Dárdai said how he had tried a different training approach with his team. We changed the methods up a bit and played a few more vertical balls, and had a look at how the boys reacted to that. I have not been seeing that much in our play of late and that’s been taking away some of the options the boys had on the pitch.”

Up next: A feisty HSV with a new manager

It’s no secret that the upcoming opponents are in a tricky situation at the moment. The Rothosen have failed to win any of their last 13 Bundesliga games. Most recently, they haven’t scored in their last three matches. However, Niklas Stark has no doubt that the capital club will face a tough match. “Past matches in Hamburg have always been challenging. We can’t give them any chances, right from kick-off.” The fact that HSV changed their coach on Monday (12th March) won’t make the match any easier. Hertha’s head coach Dárdai says: “They have a new coach with a new philosophy and perhaps a new fundamental strategy. We have to analyse that, but we’ll be paying focusing on our game, not on HSV.”

Everyone on board

Dárdai is currently spoilt for choice with regard to a starting line-up to face Hamburg – with the exception of Palko Dárdai, who continues to suffer from a muscle strain. Competition for the midfield places is hotter than ever. Per Skjelbred has been on the bench for the last few weeks. It’s an unfamiliar situation for the Norwegian player, who said: “For the last few years, I’ve always played when I’ve been fit. All I can do now is train hard and wait for my chance,” says the former Hamburg player.

He will have the chance to impress in training several times this week. There are two training sessions on the schedule for Wednesday (14th March). The morning open training session will take place at 10:00 CET, before a session in the gym in the afternoon. The team will then train behind closed doors on Thursday and Friday, before hopefully putting in a solid performance in Hamburg on Saturday (17th March).