Magath confirms Boateng will once again lead team: "No need to hide it."
Hertha BSC's run of fixtures against direct relegation rivals continues with a home match against VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.
Current Hertha head-coach Felix Magath and club sporting CEO Fredi Bobic both spoke on their previous ties with Stuttgart at their Friday presser.
Magath confirmed that Kevin-Prince Boateng would once again serve as the cornerstone of his match-plan for the upcoming crucial six-pointer.
Current Hertha head-coach Felix Magath and club sporting CEO Fredi Bobic both spoke on their previous ties with Stuttgart at their Friday presser.
Magath confirmed that Kevin-Prince Boateng would once again serve as the cornerstone of his match-plan for the upcoming crucial six-pointer.
| Felix Magath. |
"We put Augsburg off their game with our fighting spirit," trainer Felix Magath remarked at his Friday presser, "Stuttgart can expect nothing less. We will fight until the end."
Sitting next to Magath, current club sporting CEO Fredi Bobic was asked about his previous tenure with the club he's about to face. Bobic became a hot administrative commodity after his successful stint as a boss at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Prior to that, however, he served as Stuttgart's sporting director from 2010 to 2014. The stint wasn't generally considered a successful one. Bobic was terminated.
"I would have stayed longer," Bobic quipped at the Friday presser, being sure to add, "but that was so long ago."
Magath's ties to Stuttgart--he served as the team's head-coach from 2001 to 2004--was even longer ago. Magath was the trainer who ran the famous "Stuttgart junge Wilden" as both coach and sporting director. The stint kick-started his career and ultimately landed him the FC Bayern München job.
"That was the most beautiful phase of my career," Magath noted when reminiscing on his happier memories, "both privately and professionally."
Regarding his squad planning for Sunday, Magath said that he planned no major chances to last week's squad. Right flanker Marco Richter (on accumulated yellow suspension) will obviously have to be replaced.
This poses something of a problem as alternate wingers Myziane Maolida and Dong-Jun Lee are out injured. Magath also confirmed that Lukas Klünter will be unavailable after suffering a shoulder injury in training.
When it came to the big question of day--namely, whether veteran Kevin-Prince would once again direct the team from the ten-slot--Magath saw no point in denying it. The 68-year-old outright stated that Boateng would start again and placed his confidence in the soon-to-retire journeyman.
"He [Boateng] was a major factor in leading the team and bringing in structure," Magath noted, "No need for us to hide it. Of course he will also direct the team like that on the field Sunday."
"The points against Augsburg only really count if we win again," Magath added in closing, "I don't care what Augsburg and Bielefeld are doing this weekend. We win."