Dardai and "Zecke" Neuendorf: Hertha relies on old friends to save them

Monday, January 25, 2021

Dardai and "Zecke" Neuendorf
Hertha relies on old friends for the rescue

Labbadia and Preetz out, Dardai back in: Hertha BSC relies on an old friend in the fight against relegation. Pal Dardai gets a second chance as head coach of the Bundesliga club.

From now on, Pal Dardai has to rethink – and play tough again. "Stars who have been ripped off are a little more difficult to convince," said the Hungarian once about the difference between the youth and professional sectors. The 44-year-old should now make Matheus Cunha, Dodi Lukebakio and Co. legs in the relegation battle, for the second time he was promoted from youth to head coach at his heart club Hertha BSC.

His appointment, which was agreed surprisingly long until the summer of 2022, is also an admission by the ambitious Hertha that they have lost a year and a half in the intended development into a top Bundesliga club. With his "clear manner", Dardai could provide the "necessary impetus", said Carsten Schmidt as chairman of the management board: "As a die-hard Herthaner, he knows everyone here and does not need to get used to it."

Dardai is assisted by former professional Andreas "Zecke" Neuendorf, who was promoted to U23 coach in July 2019. It had already been decided on Sunday that sports director Arne Friedrich would take over the duties of sports director Michael Preetz, who was also dismissed, by the end of June. In the first few years after the turn of the millennium, the trio fought many battles on the pitch and made a total of almost 1,000 competitive games for the old lady – more Hertha DNA is hardly possible.

Friedrich is still over from the Klinsmann

Identification is mainly lived by Dardai. Hertha's record player had numerous and lucrative offers from home and abroad after his departure in summer 2019, when Preetz no longer trusted him to develop the team after four and a half years. But Dardai remained loyal to Hertha and took over the club's U16 after a sabbatical year. A return to the head coach position was not planned, but of course he helps out without hesitation: "I don't need to explain to anyone what Hertha BSC means to me."

Neuendorf should ensure the fun factor in training. Although he has grown up through the responsible work in the junior division, "That doesn't mean you can't be funny anymore," Neuendorf said recently. The "Tick", which is very popular with the fans because of his jokes, emphasized that he was "no longer the little Kasper from the past", but a coach who "does good, honest work".

This is also said of Friedrich. The 82-time national player was brought on board by Jürgen Klinsmann a year ago, and the unusual job title ("Performance Manager") caused a shake of the head. But Friedrich quickly made himself indispensable as the link between the team and the officials.

Klinsmann went into a row, but Friedrich rose: first to team manager, then to sports director, who is now equipped with expanded skills. Schmidt calls the ex-captain of Hertha a "strong opinionated, reflective and energetic colleague" who is "a top choice" in the current situation: "Through his clarity, through his experience, through his closeness to football, through his ambition, Thanks to his strong connection with Hertha, he can help us extremely. "