Marvin Plattenhardt, 30, had the worst possible start as captain of Hertha BSC last Sunday. In the cup game against the second division side Eintracht Braunschweig, he prepared the early 1-0 with a precise cross through Davie Selke. In the penalty shootout, however, Plattenhardt was one of two Berliners who failed with their attempts. Jasmin Fezic, Braunschweig’s goalkeeper, saved his shot. And so Hertha said goodbye to the DFB Cup after the first round.
For Plattenhardt and the Berlin Bundesliga team, the next tricky task is already on the weekend. At the start of the new Bundesliga season, Hertha BSC takes on local rivals 1. FC Union (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.). The new captain faced the media three days before the game and spoke about the derby, his new position and the preparations under coach Sandro Schwarz. Here are Plattenhardt’s most important statements:
“The anticipation is great. Everyone is hot here. As far as I’m concerned, it can start tomorrow. We want to go there and win.”
“It’s been a while. We played very well offensively, but also defended together. In the last few games, that has slipped out of our hands a bit. But we still have a few days to work on it. We also did that in training today so that goals like in the last friendlies and in the cup against Braunschweig don’t happen to us.”
… on the pressure after last season’s derby defeats:
“I don’t feel that the pressure has increased for us as a result. The games are in the past. We don’t like looking back. Sure, it doesn’t feel good when you lose three derbies in a row. But now at the weekend we can change that. We look forward to that.”
… about the start of the season:
“It is important to start the round with a win. That’s why we want to win the game – not just because it’s the derby. We also want to be successful in the coming weeks and score a lot of points.”
… about his feeling before the start:
“A lot of things make me feel confident. i am a positive person We’ve been working hard over the last few weeks, both here and at the training camp. We’ve made a step forward as a team, we’ve got a better atmosphere on the pitch and we’ve learned a few things that the new coaching staff have taught us. I then go into the game with these thoughts.”
… about the new coach Sandro Schwarz and his team:
“The impression is very positive. We’ve worked a lot on offense, trained a lot of new moves, but of course also defensive behavior. Every player has to be 100% convinced that we have to act together. This is a very important point for us. If we can implement that on the pitch, we will win a lot of games.”
… about the speech of the new coach:
“It’s very clear and concise. The Bundesliga is a very big stage, so you have to address things very clearly and clearly.”
… about his new role as captain:
“Of course it’s something special. I’m going into my ninth season with Hertha, I’ve been through a lot and I know everyone here at the club. It’s an honor to be captain this season and I’m obviously trying to live up to that role on and off the pitch.”
… about his interpretation of the role:
“This is a new role that I need to grow into. But I believe that in Prince (Kevin-Prince Boateng, editor’s note) I have a strong partner at my side who knows his stuff very well and has already had some experience. So I’m very positive that we can do it.”
… about a special speech as captain before the derby:
“Something like this comes spontaneously. I’m not the type to pull out a piece of paper and write something down. When the time is right, I will say a few things.”
… about the cup defeat in Braunschweig:
“The goals we conceded were very bitter, and a bit too easy. We could have defended better as a collective. That was also the focus of the analysis and today’s training. Offensively we have an enormous quality. If we bring this quality to the pitch together, we will score a lot of goals.”
… about the new centre-forward Wilfried Kanga:
“I trained with him for the first time today. He seems like a pretty good one to me.”
