Hertha BSC has found a successor for Felix Magath and will rely on Sandro Schwarz as head coach in the future. The former coach of 1. FSV Mainz 05 signed a contract with the Berlin Bundesliga club until mid-2024. Hertha confirmed this on Thursday.
Most recently, the 43-year-old was in charge of top Russian club Dynamo Moscow, with whom he lost the national cup final against Spartak Moscow last Sunday 2-1. After that, he immediately announced his departure from Russia.
“When looking for a new trainer for Hertha BSC, I focused not only on technical qualities but also on enthusiasm, passion and emotionality,” said Managing Director Fredi Bobic. Schwarz demonstrated these qualities on his previous stations.
“I really want to help shape the restart at Hertha BSC. The club has gone through a difficult period. I’m really looking forward to turning that into a positive with work, joy and a lot of energy,” emphasized Schwarz, who has only looked after 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga from 2017 to 2019. He is to be officially presented on June 20 June.
Schwarz had been named coach of the month several times during his Dynamo engagement in Russia. In contrast to other German coaches such as Markus Gisdol or Daniel Farke, he stayed in the country even after the start of the war in Ukraine. He spoke of his sense of responsibility and emphasized: “I believe that in such a situation, safety is the most important thing and that I’m not the person who just looks at himself and says: I’ll get on the next plane and get out of here .”
Black should initially lead the Berliners back into safe table areas after years of sporting descent. Under short-term coach Magath, they just managed to stay up against Hamburger SV (0:1/2:0) in the relegation. At the Hertha general meeting on Sunday, some fans were critical of Schwarz’s previously clear coaching CV.
Managing director Bobic expects an attractive style of play from the new head coach. “What he has to bring with him is clear. Personality and fire for Hertha,” said the managing director. “I want to see aggressive football, going forward, not backwards. Our football was marked by passivity,” the 50-year-old criticized the performance, especially under Magath’s predecessors Pal Dardai and Tayfun Korkut.
Short, compact, clear
It is the third coach that Bobic has signed for the Berliners. According to critics, he held on to Korkut, who replaced club icon Dardai in November, for too long. Under Magath, who then followed in March, staying up in the league was extremely narrow. If it doesn’t work with black either, the pressure on Bobic should continue to increase.
Schwarz starts with Hertha on the last weekend of July in the DFB Cup at Eintracht Braunschweig, a week later the Bundesliga season begins. Should he still be Hertha coach in May 2023, he would be the first coach since Dardai 2018/19 to be in office for a full season with the Berliners.
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