After a contemplative and quiet Christmas holiday, Hertha is really getting going again in the new year. On January 3rd, the football stars will take off for a training camp in Florida/USA, where they will spend eleven days at the IMG Academy in Bradenton to prepare for the start of the Bundesliga after the World Cup break.
Before Hertha fights for league points in Bochum on January 21, a lot of hard work awaits the players of coach Sandro Schwarz (44) in Florida.
On January 8 (8 p.m. CET), Hertha will first meet Club de Lyon FC, who play in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), at the IGM Academy training ground. Immediately afterwards, the next test against The Villages SC from the USL League Two will take place there at 11 p.m. (CET).
Hertha intends to put the training content learned into practice against these lower-class teams. The attacking game and possession of the ball in particular still need to be optimised.
Coach Schwarz: “When in possession of the ball and playing our own offensive game, we have to develop more danger and precision. We still have room for improvement, especially in the last third.”
On January 11 (6 p.m., CET), what you have learned will be perfected again against the best talents of the SIMA Montverde Academy. And just a few hours later comes the friendly against Colombia’s former champions Millonarios FC (1am CET) at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.
This is the last endurance test before the Bundesliga game in Bochum.
In the last 19 league games, Hertha wants to finally get going. In the first 15 games of the shortened first half of the season, the Berliners (15th place) were able to convince in terms of play, but the number of points (14 points) was clearly too low.
Hertha striker Wilfried Kanga is getting better and more accurate Foto: City-Press
Hertha manager Fredi Bobic (51) now believes in an increase: “After such a big upheaval in the summer – like we had – it also takes time for the boys to find each other. You can see the positivity and the mutual drive on and off the pitch. I like the different roles in the team. In this way we get a good structure again, where it is easier for newcomers to integrate right away. I’m sure some of them will make a leap in performance.”
Bobic continues: “Such a kanga works for three players, for example, he will work out luck. I’ve seen a lot of strikers explode after half a year…”