Missing counter-attack protection and an exposed centre, but also: 15 shots on goal, two goals and the courageous comeback after trailing 0:2. For Hertha’s new coach Tayfun Korkut, the 2:2 debut in his hometown of Stuttgart held insights of every kind.
The headline Hertha’s coach, installed a week ago, gave his debut was quickly found. “Courage,” Tayfun Korkut said the day after. “For me, mentality is above all courage. That’s how you have to assess it – purely from the first feeling. Of course there are issues we have to work on. You could see that too.” But the bottom line was a point won. The quintessence of the first 90 minutes under his direction: “I saw an intact team. Of course we didn’t manage to pull away from our neighbours in the standings. But we came back very, very well.”
Stevan Jovetic scored twice for the first time in the Bundesliga, Ishak Belfodil’s goal did not count because of offside. In the end, the statistics counted 15 shots on goal for the Berliners, 10 for VfB – it was a positive indication in an area that was not previously considered Berlin’s parade discipline.
“Training content and ideas have been visible, especially in possession,” praised Korkut on Monday. “That’s what we focused on last week. It starts very simply with demanding the ball – that we can bring it forward together from the back and put it on goal in a good situation. 15 shots on goal in an away game, that’s very good. What’s even more important for me as a coach: that after a really good start and two niggles – actually three niggles with the goal Ishak didn’t give – we keep going forward and also in the same way. We didn’t go off plan. “
Ample approaches for work
There was no question, however, that this 2:2 with league goals number 28 and 29 offered plenty to work on. Hertha were criminally open through the centre for both Stuttgart goals. After 14 league matchdays, the Berlin record is adorned with just one game to nil – the 1:0 against Borussia Mönchengladbach in October. Creating the much-needed compactness and at the same time – as practised in phases in Stuttgart – increasing offensive productivity will be Korkut’s core task. “Without ifs and buts” he wants to “get to work” with the team.
Referring to the initially porous defence on Sunday, he said on Monday: “In the past, my teams have not usually been so vulnerable defensively. That’s why I’m confident that we’ll get to grips with that through hard work. We’ve only been together a few days and we’ve worked through a lot of issues. “
Forwards, he said, the team created “a lot of situations” in the game at his former club“Now it’s about us still working on control and defence.” The next test awaits on Saturday at the Olympiastadion with Arminia Bielefeld. Korkut’s recommendation: “Stay focused and take the positive feeling into the training week and the next game.” After the small step in Stuttgart, a bigger step should follow in Korkut’s home debut.
