For Kevin-Prince Boateng, the working day was not over when his colleagues gathered in the center circle after the final whistle to celebrate the much-anticipated first win of the season.
The late substitute midfielder with the pronounced leadership attitude had not had much influence on the arduous 3-1 success, but now he urged his colleagues on, waving his arms.
Marco Richter received a loud additional warning because he did not react immediately. Boateng wanted the team to thank the supporters in the corner as one. Even after this first win of the season in Bochum, the matter of unity remains a big topic for the Berliners, who have been shaken by all sorts of unrest. One point would have been “important in this situation”, should coach Pal Dardai say a little later, “now there are three”. Even behind these innocuous words, attentive listeners could suspect a hidden provocation.
Because such humble formulations actually contradict the self-image of this ambitious club.
Satisfying one point with a newcomer may fit the current sporting situation, but not the vision that those responsible have of the future of Hertha.
The day before the game, an interview with Lars Windhorst appeared in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, in which the investor stated that he wanted to reach the Champions League "in two to five years".
"He doesn't care about anything anyway"
With clear words he had criticized Dardai's modesty, who had offered to resign after the 0: 5 in Munich before the international break and had described himself as "the little Pal". “Something like that just doesn't work. As a player I think: He doesn't care about anything anyway, ”said Windhorst about the coach. So the situation is very confused, because in Bochum the team left the impression that Dardai is already right with his attempt to dampen expectations.
In terms of football, the team is far from the level of the upper third of the table.
"If someone thinks we'd play miracle football in a stadium that hasn't been in the Bundesliga for ten years and against a courageous team with self-confidence, they don't know football," said the coach and declared defiantly: "That's why I'm proud of them Team. ”Because the success was not necessarily deserved, but a victory against much opposition.
"That was a pressure game"
VfL Bochum had played more passionately, they also had a recognizable plan, but they didn't have a Suat Serdar, for example. The former national player played for the catastrophically weak FC Schalke last year, now he crashed again with Hertha to the bottom of the table and paved the way for this small act of liberation with two goals in the first half. "That was a pressure game," said Hertha defender Niklas Stark, "we took the pressure off in the right situations and were efficient today."
Hertha managed only one good attack after the break, and the completed newcomer Myziane Maolida promptly with the 1: 3. The clearest progress could be seen in the Berlin defense, so that Dardai praised "the defensive chain" because "they beheaded everything, threw themselves into it, were passionate".
At this early point in the season, Hertha BSC is already taking the classic route of a crisis team with a very uncertain route. Before the offensive game can become more creative and varied, the stability is being worked on, and on Friday against the game association Greuther Fürth there is an inexpensive option to gain further self-confidence. It is possible that the club could catch up and stabilize quickly, but an autumn in the depths of the table is also conceivable given the ubiquitous turmoil.