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Troubled times at the Old Lady
These are not easy times for Hertha BSC. Some in Berlin may feel reminded of the old postcard saying: "Smile and be happy, things could get worse. And I smiled and was happy - and it got worse." No matter what the club tries to do to solve the sporting crisis they find themselves in, it just keeps getting worse. Coach Tayfun Korkut, who is well known to everyone in Hoffenheim from his time at TSG, arrived in November to replace Pal Dardai and save the club from plummeting further down the league table. In the end, he was sacked after just 13 games (two wins). This was followed by a recruitment decision that caused a great stir throughout the league and in the media: Felix Magath, ten years after leaving VfL Wolfsburg (who he guided to a shock title win in 2009), made his comeback to the Bundesliga. But for this home game against TSG, which is absolutely vital for Hertha and has been hailed as a potential fresh start, Mark Fotheringham will be in charge of the team. The 38-year-old Scot, most recently assistant coach at FC Ingolstadt, will take charge in light of Magath's infection with Covid . However, the coach is virtually symptom-free and will keep in touch with the team and coaching staff from his hotel room. The veteran has been full of fighting spirit going into this unusual debut: "It was clear that this would be a difficult task. However, we could not have expected further obstacles beyond our control right from the start. Nevertheless, even that will not deter us from achieving our shared goal of staying in the league," said the 68-year-old in an interview with BILD-Zeitung.
The unexpected changes in the coaching staff complicate TSG's preparations for their opponents on Saturday (15:30 CET), who are second from bottom, two points behind 15th-placed FC Augsburg. It is difficult to predict in which formation and with which tactical approach the 'Old Lady' will start the game. However, there could be a reunion with two former TSG players. In the recent 2-0 defeat in Mönchengladbach, Davie Selke and Ishak Belfodil formed a striking partnership for the Berlin club. The latter switched from TSG to BSC in August and has scored two goals this season. Selke has also netted twice, while Hertha's top scorers are Stevan Jovetic (6) and Marco Richter (5).
Despite the curious circumstances, the omens are good from Hoffenheim's point of view ahead of the clash with TSG coach Sebastian Hoeness's former club: Hoffenheim ran out 2-0 winners in the return fixture and have picked up three points in each of the last three meetings between the two sides.
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