When he was presented as the new coach of Hertha BSC, Felix Magath warned of further disputes and conflicts at the Berlin Bundesliga club. “I hope it’s clear to everyone that in the next few weeks it’s about Hertha BSC, not Felix Magath or Fredi Bobic. It’s about the club being in a situation where they need broad support, the players need support,” said the 68-year-old.
Recently, in addition to the sporting descent to 17th place at Hertha, there have always been public disputes and differences of opinion – right up to the presidency and million-dollar investor Lars Windhorst.
The team, which slipped down to 17th place, made a “somewhat uncoordinated” impression on him recently, said Magath. For precise plans for the sporting upswing, however, he still has to get to know the players better. The first game under Magath is on Saturday (3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Bobic: “No knee-jerk reaction”
The former master coach of FC Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg admitted that the comeback was a surprise for him too. “In and of itself, I no longer wanted to work as a coach in the Bundesliga. On the other hand, I describe myself as an athlete, as a footballer. I’ve done almost nothing else in my life. I can’t help it. I’m a soccer player, I want soccer. I’m able to adapt to situations,” said Magath.
The surprise commitment of the new head coach was not a knee-jerk reaction for those responsible in Berlin. “I’ve been toying with the idea for a long time. It is the duty of care towards the employer, towards Hertha BSC, that of course I always have to think about what could happen if,” said Hertha’s sports director Fredi Bobic at the presentation of Magath in Berlin and added: “You don’t always have to follow the usual reflexes, but also the intuition or the experience that I have had for more than ten years now.”
Bobic was also pleased that the club from the capital managed to keep 68-year-old Magath’s return to the Bundesliga a secret until the end. Magath was presented on Sunday as the successor to the hapless Tayfun Korkut and received a contract until the end of the season. “I was very happy that we managed to do it together calmly, quietly and in full secrecy,” said Bobic, who sees Magath as the perfect man to save Hertha from relegation.
“For me it was simply about getting the right person,” said Bobic: “For me, Felix Magath was never out of the window or gone.” You have to “always deal with all the possibilities,” said the former professional.
