Opposition Check: Hertha BSC

Since its founding, the Old Lady, like its hometown, has experienced a turbulent history. With the founding of the Bundesliga in 1963, Hertha initially belonged to the top flight, but was relegated to the Regionalliga in 1965. What followed were eventful decades of promotions and relegations – their greatest sporting success after the championship era was coming runners-up in 1975. In the 1999/2000 season, Hertha played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time, and the club also qualified for the European Cup several times in the 2010s. The Olympiastadion Berlin has been the home of the club since 1963, whose motto „The future belongs to Berlin“ clearly sets its sights on the future – toward new goals, sustained by a turbulent past.

The youth word „bromance“ describes an intense, almost cinematic male friendship – two men who seem inseparable and trust each other blindly. Hertha coach Stefan Leitl and his assistant coach Andre Mijatović are the perfect example of such a connection. The two not only share the same ideas about football, but also an apartment. In Berlin, they live together in a shared apartment for men – and not purely because of a lack of housing.

They already lived together at their previous stints in Fürth and Hanover. What connects them is trust, humor – and a certain routine. Even if there is still room for improvement in the kitchen: „Andre didn’t cook well in Hanover. I guess I’ll have to take over now,“ jokes Leitl, referring to the shared apartment in Berlin.

Minor culinary differences aside, the collaboration on the pitch seems to be working even better: Since moving into their shared Berlin apartment near the Olympic Stadium, Hertha BSC has won all three of their matches – against Braunschweig, Karlsruhe, and Köln. The „Old Lady“ appears stable, eager to play, and back in rhythm.

Leitl and Mijatović came to Berlin with a clear goal: to bring stability in the short term and build on better times in the long term. And as long as their sporting bromance runs as smoothly as it currently does, there’s a good chance that Hertha will soon be sailing in calmer waters again.

„The trend is your friend“: In this case, especially the friend of the old lady. After seven games without a win, Leitl seems to have managed to flip the switch. The capital club has won three games in a row with a goal difference of 9:2. And not only that: Hertha is extremely strong at passing the ball directly from the wings into the danger zone. With 328 crosses from open play, they rank third in the 2. Bundesliga in this statistic, behind Karlsruhe and Paderborn.

Do you believe in love at first sight? For many, that’s the prerequisite for the perfect match. But sometimes it takes a second look – and a bit of patience. The best example: Fabian Reese and Hertha BSC. Initially, there wasn’t much of a spark between the attacking player and the „Old Lady.“

The year was 2015. On November 21, Reese made his professional debut for FC Schalke 04 at the Veltins Arena – against FC Bayern Munich, of all teams. Three minutes of playing time marked the start of a special career. After stints at Karlsruher SC and SpVgg Greuther Fürth, his path ultimately led him back home: to Holstein Kiel, the club of his birthplace.

Reese became a key player at the „Störchen.“ 119 games, 17 goals, 30 assists – figures that even attracted attention from Bundesliga clubs. Then, in January 2023, the big announcement came: Fabian Reese would be joining Hertha BSC in the summer. Finally, he thought, he’d made the step into the Bundesliga. But just a few months later, everything changed: Both Fredi Bobic and coach Sandro Schwarz – who had inspired him to join the „Big City Club“ project – were forced to leave, and Hertha was relegated.

„At first, I was sad that I was denied the opportunity. I was convinced that Hertha would stay in the league,“ Reese later said in an interview with kicker. „But life sometimes presents you with challenges you don’t expect.“

But the frustration didn’t last long. Today, it seems as if there couldn’t have been a better place for Reese. Hertha and him – it’s a perfect fit. Not just because of his striking appearance with painted fingernails, sweatbands, and various hairstyles. But above all because he’s leading the way athletically. In 48 games for the Berlin club so far, he’s delivered an impressive 20 goals and provided 18 assists – thus not only winning the hearts of the fans but also regularly making headlines in the transfer rumor mill.

„Kiel remains my hometown, but my home is Berlin,“ Reese said in an rbb interview – a sentence that shows how deeply he’s settled in the capital. He’s never lost sight of his dream of playing in the Bundesliga. And he would probably prefer to realize it exactly where he is happy right now: with Hertha BSC.