It’s Comforting, In A Way
By: Abby | April 27th, 2009A “highly efficient” Hertha performance, featuring defending described mostly as “solid”, produced a 1-0 win away to Hoffenheim. It was another one of those games in which the other team dominated, should have won on multiple occasions, hit the crossbar, and yet lost as we managed to score with our one shot on target.
It feels good to be back.
Patrick Ebert scored the solitary goal on 40 minutes, a fine finish past Timo Hildebrand from Marko Pantelic’s pass. He’d only been restored to the starting lineup because Pal Dardai picked up a fifth yellow card against Bremen, getting himself suspended. The slightly-troubled young German certainly showed what he has to offer. Lukasz Pisczcek replace the slightly out of sorts Maximillian Nicu, but the Romanian (officially) came back on after Leandro Cufré came off with a ligament injury that will keep him out for the season, which will likely end his time at Hertha.
Other than that, Joe Simunic and Jaroslav Drobny both had fine games, and it’s nice to see us back on this year’s standard operating procedure, especially without Arne Friedrich to anchor things.
Our luck didn’t end with Hoffenheim’s poor finishing- the results of everyone else means that we’re back in the Champions League places and only two points behind table-toppers Wolfsburg, who were taken down by our neighbors, the lowly Energie Cottbus. If they stay in the league, it won’t just be because of us this time. Currently, we’re in second place on 55 points, with three teams behind us on 54 points. There are five games left. We could be anywhere after all of those.
The big news, though, is with one of the teams behind us- the mighty Bayern Munich has tired of the Klinsmann experiment and I just want to say one thing: STEP OFF.
Category: match reports
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Comments
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That wasn’t a highly efficient game by Hertha. At least if you define efficiency as being about achieving the maximum result with minimum effort. Hertha have to work way too hard for their victories. Favre’s game requires a lot of running to keep players in position anyway. But if you then also have trouble keeping/dominating possession you have to run even more, because your opponent is dictating where the ball is going. But the way they play is effective for sure.
I’ve also got to say that most shots on goal where very easy saves for Drobny. Though Drobny and von Bergen/Simunic did all the hard work with their positioning prior to the easy save.
Von Bergen really played well – maybe he has overcome his slump in form.About Favre to Bayern: I can’t think of a team in the Bundesliga which is so dependent on its coach as Hertha. Favre leaving Hertha now would be the worst that could happen to the club. The team is still a work in progress and this work in progress is tailor-made for Favre’s philosophy. I doubt that any other coach could get as much out of it as Favre. Bayern should get whichever top coach is currently on the market.
Posted from
Germany
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Yeah, I think it’s just Bild rumor-mongering, honestly. They like him for whatever reason.
And I look at it more as “efficient” in quotes. It’s something that others use to describe Hertha because they can’t think of anything else nice to say. Technically, it is efficient, though- one shot, one goal, three points, right?
Posted from
United States -
Woo hoo, after 3 losses, now 2 wins and time for a crunch game against HSV. I’ll settle for a draw, but don’t discount a possible win, Hamburg aren’t exactly in top form themselves. The season is going down to the wire. Thank God we have KSC as the last game!
Posted from
Germany -
I can’t wait to watch the highlights today, but any win we get without Voronin is a good one. I agree that I will be happy with a draw against HSV. I can’t wait for this game!
The run-in from there shouldn’t be too bad. Every opponent from then on may already have their fate in the league secured when we play them so that will bode well too. Stuttgart has some tough matches left so hopefully they will slow down. How about Cottbus keeping the race alive? That was great.
It’s nice to have KSC last, but it will be bittersweet a bit if we are the team that sends them back down.
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United States -
Wouldn’t worry about Bayern snatching Lulu, unless we win the title? Without that on his resume, Favre would be dismissed as the poor man’s Wenger (Bayern would obviously love to get the rich man’s version, but that’s a non-starter). I AM worried about Bayern poaching Drobs, Joe or Gojko — but that’s just what you get for being successful, I guess.
Posted from
Germany
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