Training starts ahead of #BSCBMG: keep pushing on!
The old adage that three points makes things a lot easier, though not something new, is always something to remember. After victory in Frankfurt, our Blue-Whites got their working week underway with a spring in their step, despite the classic autumn weather. The message to the team is clear: work productively and set the ground work for a successful game on the weekend – just as Pál Dárdai said before the three points against the Eagles. “Our lads are really improving as a team, both defensively and offensively. I can feel that positive change. It’s all about playing together as one unit and keeping compact between the defence, midfield and attack,” said Dárdai.
Our head coach and his training staff will be working on furthering this improvement in the week’s training sessions, so that they can earn back to back wins for only the second time this season, at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday (18:30 CEST). “We want to take back the points we gave away against Wolfsburg and Freiburg, and we have the opportunity to do that right now. If we win the game, we’ll have the amount of points I think is right for how we’ve played,” said the Hungarian Dárdai, ahead of the game against the Foals.
Positive news from the physio’s room
A few Herthaner will be missing for the match against Borussia. Lukas Klünter and Jordan Torunarigha both missed the near 100-minute long afternoon session at Schenkendorffplatz, which followed a morning session in the gym. Deyovaisio Zeefuik and Linus Gechter both returned to full training with their teammates, whereas Rune Jarstein and Márton Dárdai trained individually. “The ideal situation would be for Márton to return to full training this week, but we still need to wait on how he reacts to the workload,” said the head coach on our central defender. Lucas Tousart also didn’t take part in training due to a ankle injury which also kept him out of the squad against Eintracht at the weekend.
Two of the team in particular were eager to get to work on the passing drills and tactical work planned for the day; Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Maximilian Mittelstädt, the scorer and creator of our winner in Frankfurt. “We were delighted with Jurgen’s impact off the bench. He needs to fight to nail down a starting place here, but if he comes into games and scores decisive goals like that, we’re all happy too,” praised Dárdai, on the 22-year-old Dutchman’s two quick fire goals after coming off the bench. “Jurgen is still young and needs practice in games – we’ll give it to him.”
Mittelstädt improves form
Maxi Mittelstädt has almost three years more under his belt than Ekkelenkamp, but he also made an impressive return to form against the Eagles. “He got some time to think against Fürth. I brought him to me and said that he could do better,” explained the head coach, looking for the winger to regain his past form. “I wanted my Maxi back, the Maxi who won the U17 championship with me. I see that Maxi now, he’s got back to form.” It’s an improvement in form that is symptomatic of all our Herthaner; a return to form which our boys will take any measures to realise in matchday nine of the Bundesliga.