Remaining positive for the derby
From painful defeats and relegation battles to dramatic wins and European nights, Marvin Plattenhardt has experienced plenty during his eight seasons with Hertha BSC. Our number 21 is now going into his ninth year at the club as captain for the first time. “It’s something really special and a real honour for me. I’ve seen a lot during my time here and I know everybody at the club. I want to do a good job both on and off the pitch,” said the left-back.
“I’d happily play the game right now!”
Platte’s first Bundesliga game as official club captain will be no ordinary one. Hertha will face city rivals 1. FC Union on Saturday (6/8, 15:30 CEST) on the opening matchday. More than anything though, our new captain is excited. “I’m definitely looking forward to it, of course. The fans and the players are all well up for it – I’d happily play the game right now,” said the defender with a smile on his face. His team has one clear aim for the game in Köpenick: “We want to take all three points. We are preparing well and will travel there in a confident mood.”
He may well draw confidence from his personal record in the derby, having won two of his three games against Union to date. “The two victories were a fair while ago though. We didn’t have enough control of the games recently and we don’t have good memories of them. The important thing this weekend is that we do things better and we can’t wait the chance to do so,” summed up the Filderstadt-born defender.
[>]We have worked hard over the past few weeks and taken a step in the right direction as a team. These are all things that will encourage us and allow me to go into this game with a positive mindset![<]
“A lot of things are giving me confidence right now – and that’s not just because I’m a positive guy,” he said. “We have worked hard over the past few weeks and taken a step in the right direction as a team. That’s down to the good mood on the pitch together and the fact that we’ve learnt things from the new coaching team. These are all things that will encourage us and allow me to go into this game with a positive mindset!”
“We have trained our attacking play a lot, improved a few things and worked on new moves. Our defensive play, including where everyone needs to be and where everyone needs to get involved in the game has been an important point too,” revealed the 30-year-old. “We will win games if we put all this into practice on matchdays. I’ve taken a lot of positives!”
Taking the positives despite the Pokal exit
The Hertha captain is still seeing positives despite the first-round exit in the DFB-Pokal last Sunday. “We should have defended their goals better as a unit. That’s why we’ve worked a lot on our defensive play in training this week,” he reported. “We showed that we have lots of quality in attack. If we get our players in the right positions, we will score goals,” stressed the former Germany international.
Hopefully the Hertha fans will see this attacking quality on display in Köpenick on Saturday. “A good start to the season would be a real help for us and would be really important. We will have to completely play as a team to achieve that,” demanded the German. A win to kick off the new Bundesliga season would not only be a great moment for all Hertha fans, but also for the club’s new captain.