“We have to win for the fans!”

It’s a national holiday, but not for the Hertha players as they work hard on Thursday for the upcoming meeting with VfL Bochum (20/5, 15:30 CEST) and the chance to keep survival hopes alive. Pál Dárdai and Benjamin Weber were at the press conference ahead of the match. “We have to win for the fans! These last games have a special meaning. Regardless of what happens afterwards, every player’s task is to show respect and work hard,” stressed the head coach ahead of the final home game of the season. Hertha’s sporting director also added emphatically: “Even though we only have a small chance, we want to give our all for it. No one has quit here and giving up is not an option!” herthabsc.com has summarised the most important comments from Dárdai and Weber on…

…the current position:

Pál Dárdai: I couldn’t understand why we forgot everything we did well against Stuttgart last Friday in Köln. That’s why we had an in-depth analysis session on Monday that maybe hurt a few. Afterwards, we continued to concentrate on working hard. There has always been a good atmosphere in the dressing room and I can’t complain about the team spirit. I also don’t have the feeling that anyone of us is wavering or unsure. Everything comes down to matchday. We know where we stand and that things are no longer under our control. For this reason, we have to be sharp and awake and turn the negativity into positivity. We will try to show this, give everything and be dangerous.

Benjamin Weber: I’m close to the team, both in almost all the training sessions and also in the analysis sessions in the dressing room. We have to look forward now, and our focus is on the game against Bochum. Even though we only have a small chance, we want to give our all for it. It’s our job to have Pál and the team’s back. No one has quit here and giving up is not an option! We have to be realistic, of course. We want to win and then see if there is still something to play for in Wolfsburg.

…the approach:

Pál Dárdai: Discipline and fitness are the basics for defensive work. Without these, it will be difficult. The team has to be hungry. The boys are capable of scoring goals, but at the same time, we can’t concede as many as in the last game. We have to win for the fans! It’s a must, also for the staff and everyone else involved in the club. This match has a special meaning, no matter what happens afterwards, so every player’s task is to show respect and work hard. If the team works hard, we have a chance!

…the opposition:

Pál Dárdai: Bochum have their own style with a lot of long passes from the goalkeeper to Hofmann up top, then they always go in for the second balls. That’s why we haven’t practiced classic midfield pressing this week, but rather focused on the opposition’s style of play. We prepared how we have to play, break away from our opponents and chase the ball.