“We need to form a unit that’s difficult to beat”
The New Year is, slowly but surely, kicking into gear for Hertha. After the first game of 2022 at home last weekend, a period of three games in a week kicks off on Saturday, with a trip to VfL Wolfsburg (15.01, 15:30 CET) the opener. The Blue-Whites travel to Lower Saxony with a clear goal in mind: “The team has trained in a very focused way so far this week, and we’ve got it into our heads that we want to put in a top performance on Saturday,” emphasised head coach Tayfun Korkut in his press conference. Sporting director Arne Friedrich was sitting alongside him in the media room, and herthabsc.com have collected all the important news from the conference.
Tayfun Korkut and Arne Friedrich on...
... the important aspects of the upcoming game:
Tayfun Korkut: We’re concentrating on our own game. An important aspect will be that we take our chances in front of goal; we can take the lead that way. Off the ball, a decisive think will be the nuances, the little details; we’ve worked on those little things in training this week. I’m sure we’ll be more solid and stable than against Köln. We also shouldn’t be making any individual mistakes against them; everybody was extremely self-critical after the game.
... searching for the right strike partnership:
Tayfun Korkut: For me, the main thing is the team as a whole, not just individuals. The lads that are here are more than good enough; they all need to put a shift in, of course, but we need to form a unit that’s difficult to beat. Finding a partner is never easy – we all know that from our private lives! We’ve got a lot of options in attack, both in the starting XI and off the bench. What’s important is that the lads come into the game with some dynamism and impetus. Ishak Belfodil’s return means we’re in a different situation than against Köln – no matter who starts in Wolfsburg, we have the possibility of bringing on an out-and-out striker from the bench.
... the current transfer window:
Arne Friedrich: We’ve got a large team, and we’re talking to the guys in charge of squad management and scouting every day. We discuss a lot with Fredi (Bobic) and watch the market closely. Things haven’t been easy due to the pandemic, though. We’re facing up to the challenge and want to do the best we can. When things make sense, both in sporting and economic aspects, then we want to improve our squad bit by bit.