EFredi does not know Bobic in a recipe for eternal youth either. But the sports director at Hertha BSC has a very precise idea of what keeps him fit. “I am always happy when I have a lot of work. So I stay young and don’t get other thoughts and go play golf somewhere, ”says Bobic. He hadn’t done that for ten years.
This is unlikely to change anytime soon, as Bobic’s area of responsibility has expanded to include a few areas in the past few days. On Wednesday, Hertha announced the premature departure from General Manager Carsten Schmidt, who withdrew for family reasons. Schmidt’s topics will be shared by the two managing directors Bobic (sports) and Ingo Schiller (finance) until further notice. “Of course it means that some things will change. For me there is certainly a bit more to do. But I’m not afraid of that, ”says Bobic.
The 49-year-old manager is becoming a strong man at Hertha BSC in the public eye. And that at a time that, in his opinion, could hardly be more favorable. On Saturday (3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and Sky) Bobic will return to Frankfurt with the Berliners. The place where he had worked very successfully over the past five years. But also to the place where his farewell took place with some background noise.
Bobic, the pearl diver
“I look forward to seeing people I’ve worked with. I had five great years there, ”says Bobic. How it is received by the Frankfurt audience, however, is far less clear. Despite the success that Bobic was able to celebrate with Eintracht. Under his leadership, the club won the DFB Cup in 2018, and was able to qualify repeatedly for the Europa League, and in 2019 even advanced to the semi-finals.
However, the separation was not amicable, Bobic’s announced withdrawal contributed – in connection with the departure of the successful coach Adi Hütter – among other things to the fact that a restlessness developed in the environment and in the team, which ultimately led to the gamble of the participation in the Champions League, which was believed to be safe led.
In Frankfurt, Bobic had acquired the reputation of a pearl diver, a man who is particularly successful in the transfer market because he always finds players who remain hidden from others. During his time, Eintracht generated transfer revenues in the three-digit million range. That made him interesting for the competition. Especially for Hertha BSC, where financial resources have been available since investor Lars Windhorst came on board, but there is a lack of staff who know how to use the capital.
Bobic and the burden of success
After separating from manager Michael Preetz, Bobic quickly rose to become the solution of choice for those in charge in Berlin. His past as a player and the fact that his family lives in Berlin also played a role. They also made the return home palatable to him with a generous salary. He should earn around double his Frankfurt salary.
The hopes of the Berliners that they will finally be able to implement what investor Windhorst had promised when he joined the company: regular European Cup participation and the rise to the top of the national league are projected onto Bobic.
Fredi Bobic: Did he sell himself this time looking for the pearls?
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Image: Imago
Bobic has been in office for almost four months, too little to seriously evaluate his work. But there are signs that the pearl diver recently lacked a clear view of the depths of the market. Bobic parted with all of his predecessor’s silverware. The players Jhon Cordoba, Matheus Cunha and Dodi Lukebakio were either sold or loaned out.
That brought in money, but didn’t make the job any easier for coach Pal Dardai. Last season, the trio contributed with their goals to Hertha being able to keep the class with great effort. Bobic made no secret of the fact that he made the sometimes egocentric players jointly responsible for the cadre hygiene, which was in need of improvement.
Old stars: Injured or out of shape
In terms of obligations, the manager relied on the strategy of mixing experienced former experts with up-and-coming talent. But the plan has not yet worked out. The old masters all represented risk transfers, their medical records hardly spoke for Kevin-Prince Boateng and Stevan Jovetic before. The fears came true, both were either injured or out of shape. It looks similar with the younger players, none of them has really made a big difference.
Most likely, the Dutchman Jurgen Ekkelenkamp could be a win. Coach Pal Dardai regularly groans that he would need a full preparation to coordinate the team. The problems on the transfer market are reflected in the results, Hertha has lost five of their seven league games, in Frankfurt they absolutely have to win. “Nobody is satisfied, neither am I,” says Bobic. He arrived in Berlin reality faster than he would like.
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