Clear heads

Pál Dárdai played 373 times in all competitions for Hertha and has since taken charge of 203 competitive matches as head coach for the club. We have no exact number for his training sessions at Schenckendorffplatz, but it’s surely well over 1,000. He added to this tally on Monday after returning as head coach for the third time. “The important things, like the pitches here, have always been good,” said the 47-year-old at his press conference prior to training. “A few things have changed though. For example, the changing room is a bit nicer now.” Dárdai stepped out onto the training pitch at 15:32, starting his first session back in charge by talking to the players. That was followed by a warm-up, with the players clapping in time with one another whilst running. His focus after the heavy defeat in Gelsenkirchen was on team cohesion and enjoyment. Prince Boateng and his teammates then looked to “clear their heads” during a game of football tennis.

Boëtius and Ejuke back in team training

“My first job is to gain the trust of the lads and show that I don’t bite. Nobody should have any hesitations or be shy, that’s really important. I won’t always be nice during my work though,” stressed the Hungarian, who had 23 outfielders and four goalkeepers available to him on Monday.  Kélian Nsona (rehabilitation training) and Stevan Jovetić (muscular problems) were both missing from team training, however Jean-Paul Boëtius and Chidera Ejuke both returned to work alongside their teammates. Youngster Ibrahim Maza was also with the first team. “I worked with him in the academy in the past. He is a creative attacking midfielder and will get the chance to regularly train with us. I’m not scared of chucking in young players for important games,” said Dárdai.

Individual conversations and set pieces

The team will train behind closed doors on Tuesday as they continue preparations for Saturday’s home game against Werder Bremen (15:30 CEST). Dárdai wants to speak one-on-one with a number of players and work on set pieces before then. “The team practiced dead balls all the time last season and that led to us scoring important goals. We will try to find a way of doing this again. Being clinical is a key word here.”