Felix Magth: What speaks for and against success at Hertha BSC

The engagement of Felix Magath as coach of Hertha BSC caused violent reactions in the football industry. The return of the “grinder” to the Bundesliga business is definitely a surprise. Whether he can actually save the Berliners from the threat of relegation to the second division is hotly debated. The first test for the penultimate in the table is the game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday (3.30 p.m. / Sky). What speaks for relegation? And what about that?

Magath saves Hertha from relegation:

“We’ll stay in the league with this squad!” Felix Magath was always a man of clear words. It was no different when the 68-year-old made his first public appearance as head coach at Hertha BSC. On the press podium was an aging but still astute coach. Not everyone likes that in the glitter and glamor business of the Bundesliga, but Magath has often had success with it.

Critics may claim that the good days of the “grinder” were mostly more than a decade ago, but regardless of tactical developments and new, smart types of coaches, football remains a simple game. Discipline and hierarchy as Magath’s mantra will be an important constant for the disoriented Hertha professionals. Magath will talk them into success and train them quickly. There are simply no more excuses.

Success in the Bundesliga is achieved by those who have a clear concept and underpin it with inner peace in the club and its environment. Hertha sees the best example of this in its immediate vicinity at Union Berlin. Their successful coach Urs Fischer is also not a prototype of modern football.

Magath will not tolerate anyone driving into his parade in the next two months. With his experience, he will moderate disruptive factors such as the dispute between the presidency and investor Lars Windhorst from the team.

And anyway: Who could make it apart from Magath? “Those who don’t believe that I’m the right choice must not only criticize, but first make their own suggestion as to who in the German Bundesliga should be able to solve this difficult task? Please do Requests to speak.” After that, there was silence in the press room.

Magath cannot prevent Hertha from being relegated:

With good reason, the “grinders” have become a more or less extinct species in the Bundesliga in recent years. Magath rightly makes it clear: “Discipline is part of sport, I can’t change that, I didn’t invent it.” But it is questionable whether he can still reach the younger generation of players with his speech. When he was last in Europe at Fulham FC in England, there were numerous reports of disagreements between the team and the manager. Magath had to go there in 2014, he had coached his team to the bottom of the table with his methods.

At least Magath seems to be aware of this problem. He relies on Scotsman Mark Fotheringham as assistant coach – in the hope that the 38-year-old is even closer to the condition of the players than he is.

Nevertheless, the anecdotes that are circulating about him shouldn’t necessarily make it easier for Magath to find access to the Hertha players. “Those who train under Magath look forward to dying,” ex-manager Rainer Calmund once said. Ex-pro Jefferson Farfan would rather haul stones or dig dirt in Peru than play under Magath. Fear as a leadership tool just doesn’t work anymore.

Magath is a fitness fanatic, but is the lack of physical condition really Hertha’s problem? Against Mönchengladbach and also in other games, the team under Korkut ran more than the opponent and put on more sprints – without gaining any points.

The question also remains whether there is currently so much more to get out of the sometimes expensive Hertha squad. Newcomers like Marc Oliver Kempf have so far hardly been able to meet the expectations placed in them. Planned leading players like Dedryck Boyata and Kevin-Prince Boateng are either injured or are part of the chain of errors with mistakes.

The difficult remaining program of the Berliners also speaks against a successful mission. You still have to play against Hoffenheim, Leverkusen, Union and Dortmund. The games against the direct competition from Augsburg, Stuttgart and Bielefeld should be decisive. Under great pressure, Hertha rarely cut a good figure this season.