Sandro Schwarz, the new coach of Hertha BSC, will have to develop a lot of improvisational talent in the next few days and maybe weeks. On Tuesday he let his players play across the entire field in training. Eleven against eleven, so to speak. Only twelve against twelve. Black could soon play thirteen against thirteen without too much trouble. Maybe even sixteen against sixteen.
There is no shortage of players at Hertha. On Monday evening, the Berlin Bundesliga team made the next transfer perfect. Ivan Sunjic, 25 years old and defensive midfielder from Croatia, has signed a contract with Hertha BSC.
First, he comes on a year-long loan from English second division club Birmingham City, with whom he finished 20th (out of 24) in the Championship last season. After the loan, Hertha has an option to buy Sunjic, who played for the Croatian national team in 2017.
“Ivan is an aggressive ball conqueror in central defensive midfield, whose mentality and qualities perfectly suit the way we want to play football,” says Hertha’s sporting director Fredi Bobic. Sounds suspiciously like Sunjic is planned as a replacement for the Argentinian Santiago Ascacibar, who informed Hertha in the spring of his desire to change employers and who can leave the club if the offer is made.
Ascacibar was still in training on Wednesday, while Sunjic, Dedryck Boyata and Krzysztof Piatek completed the remaining performance tests. Marton Dardai, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, Fredrik Björkan and Peter Pekarik trained with the team for the first time.
The only thing missing is Omar Alderete, who has been given a day off this week and is said to be looking for a new club. It is almost impossible that the central defender from Paraguay, who was loaned to FC Valencia last season, will serve at Hertha again.
Even without him, the training ground is crowded enough. Although Jessic Ngankam, Kelian Nsona (both with knee injuries), Javairo Dilrosun, Stevan Jovetic (both with muscular problems) and Deyovaisio Zeefuik (private appointment) were still missing alongside Sunjic, Boyata and Piatek, coach Schwarz were on after the return of the national team on Wednesday a total of 30 professionals available.
Dongjun Lee trained mostly individually, and yet the eleven-on-eleven all over the field was already a thirteen-on-thirteen with an extra free man to distribute the ball.
“These are all Hertha players,” says Schwarz about the oversupply of personnel, which he will have to deal with somehow in the coming weeks. “That’s how they’re treated. But we are in open, honest exchange with one or the other player. It is logical that the group will change, that it is too big.”
In the next few days, things can be leveled out, at least temporarily, because the national players, who only returned from vacation this week, still have some catching up to do in the athletic field. “They will initially train completely different content than the group that has been there for two weeks,” says Schwarz.
On Wednesday, Dardai, Björkan, Ekkelenkamp and Pekarik ran in the second part of the session with athletic trainer Hendrik Vieth on the side court, while the rest of the squad actually played eleven against eleven.
“We will have to make decisions: What makes sense?” said coach Schwarz. “Take it easy.” But also with a certain urgency. At the beginning of next week, Hertha will travel to the second training camp in England, where the main focus will be on the game idea and football processes. How many players are allowed to go to Burton-upon-Trent has not yet been finally decided. However, it is already foreseeable that some will have to stay at home.
