It is certainly an advantage for the development of the Berlin footballers that they suffered the equalizer in injury time in Bielefeld to make it 1-1 in the end, which initially spoiled their safe relegation. Because before they can make it perfect against Mainz in the Olympic Stadium next Saturday evening, they will get a full week of valuable training under Felix Magath.
In the past few weeks, he had made “machines” out of them and “instilled spirit” in them. At least that’s how Hertha’s opinion leader Kevin-Prince Boateng, 35, puts it, who exudes a lot of optimism for the big goal: staying in the league after a season full of complications.
Magath, 68, has been the first aider for the Hertha soccer team since mid-March and he is on the right track with ten points from six games. He acknowledged with a demonstratively stoic aura the victory that was given away at the last second after Lucas Tousart had taken a 1-0 lead (54th minute). He was satisfied and found the draw fair, he said, before explaining laconically why the late goal didn’t upset him given the table constellation.
Magath speaks very openly about a possible relegation with Hertha BSC
“When I took on this job,” he said boldly, “I was sure that we would have to play against HSV in the relegation.” With a four-point lead over third-bottom Stuttgart and six before penultimate Arminia, it no longer looks like it would come to a duel with his heart club in the extended season. Next weekend, a collective sigh of relief could blow through the capital like a storm. Then the not undisputed Magath would have actually saved Hertha.
The chance that a comparable story with the coach Marco Kostmann, 56, succeeds in East Westphalia is comparatively small, despite the acclaimed compensation by Joakim Nilsson in the 91st minute. The point won against Hertha, only the second point gained from the last nine games, gave the Bielefeld team a mathematical chance of staying up in the league. There are still some hopes of participating in the relegation, but their performance in recent weeks and the presentation against Berlin did not allow for much optimism. “Too bad – but also okay,” said the Japanese attacker Masaya Okigawa about the lucky draw and hit the complex Bielefeld mood quite precisely.
“We’re still able to hold on to the Bundesliga two games before the end of the season,” says Kostmann, who was promoted from goalkeeping coach to head coach two weeks ago. He considers Nilsson’s late goal valuable simply because it gives his Arminia the ability to act: A win on Friday at VfL Bochum, who has already been saved, can put pressure on VfB Stuttgart, who have to play Bayern Munich two days later on Sunday. Kostmann called the point win “good for self-confidence” before hugging his opponent Magath. Bielefeld’s coach was once his goalkeeper from 1993 to 1995 in the second team at Hamburger SV.
Joakim Nilsson (right) scored the much-hyped equalizer against Stuttgart.
(Photo: Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
Despite this, there are many indications that Bielefeld will be contesting its 30th second division season rather than its 20th Bundesliga season next season. While Magath praised the fact that Hertha had become “one team” under him, Arminia has crumbled quite a bit over the past two and a half months. First under ex-coach Frank Kramer, then under his successor Kostmann. “Tear yourself up!” the fans had demanded on a banner before the game against Hertha, but that was only visible in the very last few minutes. Arminia almost tore it apart. “Give us another 34!” Was written on another banner of the Arminia fans – probably meant games in league one.
Magath sounds like he’s interested in being Hertha coach next season
If that doesn’t work out, Bielefeld would have to go down eighth. You couldn’t catch up with the record holder, that’s 1. FC Nürnberg, whose sports director Dieter Hecking was in the stands this time. For the 100th birthday in 2005, the Arminia elevator association installed an elevator cabin in its anniversary exhibition. It has celebrated its cross-class diversity since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963 with 19 years in the Bundesliga, 29 years in the second division and ten years in the third division.
Hertha is expected to postpone its seventh Bundesliga relegation into the future. Here and there, Magath already sounds like he is interested in being Hertha coach next season. At least he doesn’t seem to have lost his aggressiveness. He sent a few verbal warning volleys towards Bayern, who played laxly in Mainz. “FC Bayern are already champions,” Magath said on Sky, “but I don’t know why a team stops playing three weeks before the end of the season.” That doesn’t serve the league – and, according to Magath, it shouldn’t be repeated against Hertha’s competitor Stuttgart.