When Tjark Ernst switched from VfL Bochum to Hertha BSC this summer, his new club quoted him in his official statement with sentences that are said in such situations: “I would like to develop further on all levels – athletically, but also personally with the step out from home”, was the son of the former Bundesliga goalkeeper Thomas Ernst (Bochum, Stuttgart, Kaiserslautern) to read. “I’ll give it my all in training to establish myself in the men’s division as quickly as possible.”
It was probably no coincidence that Hertha’s head coach praised goalkeeping coach Andreas Menger and his work. Menger is, at least indirectly, the reason why Ernst is now the first deputy of Hertha’s new regular keeper Oliver Christensen – and no longer the veteran Rune Jarstein takes on this role.
The 37-year-old Norwegian lost his position as number two at Hertha last weekend. Jarstein is released until further notice because he criticized Menger and his work last Friday – in the opinion of the club in a way that makes future cooperation impossible. Fredi Bobic, Hertha’s sporting director, announced further talks with the goalkeeper and his advisor on Sunday, but he also said that the matter should be clarified quickly.
There were talks, confirmed coach Schwarz on Thursday in the press conference for the game in Mönchengladbach. But since it is an ongoing process, he cannot say anything about the details. Fredi Bobic also did not contribute anything illuminating to this personal information, as he was unable to attend the General Assembly of the German Football League in Dortmund.
However, his statements in a media round on Sunday left little room for interpretation. “Something happened that is not on the agenda. That was more violent,” Bobic said without going into details.
There will probably not be a return of Jarstein, which is said to have already been signaled to him. But it is anything but certain that Hertha will be able to terminate the goalkeeper’s contract, which runs until the end of the season, without notice – especially since the situation from Jarstein’s environment is naturally presented somewhat differently.
It is indisputable that Jarstein criticized Menger, who has been working for Hertha BSC for a little over a year. He is said to have even denied him his suitability for the job as goalkeeping coach, but not on the training ground in front of the entire team, but initially in a one-to-one conversation.
One question is what consequences this will have for Jarstein. The other, hardly less exciting: How is Hertha doing for the rest of the season in the goalkeeper team?
“Up until Friday we didn’t think much about it, if at all,” admits head coach Schwarz. “But of course we are in internal talks about how to solve the situation without having made any final decisions.”
It will probably result in Hertha looking for another, experienced goalkeeper who could not only replace Christensen, but ideally also as a first goalkeeper.
Fredi Bobic says: “We have two super young guys behind us who are incredibly motivated, train well and develop.” But alone with a 23-year-old (Christensen) as number one and two teenagers – Ernst, 19, and Robert Kwasigroch, 18, – going into the season as a potential replacement would be courageous. Or naive.
It goes without saying that you seriously deal with the question of whether you still need a goalkeeper, says Schwarz. But just getting someone to present something to the outside world makes little sense. “The most important criterion is quality,” explains Hertha’s head coach. “No matter what position.”
But you don’t just have to find this quality. You also have to be able to afford them.
