Sandro Schwarz is the new coach of Bundesliga soccer club Hertha BSC. After the relegation that was just prevented, the former Mainz coach should ensure more peace in the coming season. But there are discussions about his just finished job at Dynamo Moscow.
Hertha BSC starts the new Bundesliga season with Sandro Schwarz as head coach. The former Mainz coach signed a contract until 2024, the club announced.
Managing Director Sport, Fredi Bobic, said: "When looking for a new coach for Hertha BSC, my focus was not only on professional qualities, but also on enthusiasm, passion and emotionality. Sandro had all of that during his time at FSV Mainz 05 and also at Dynamo shown in Moscow." Schwarz explained that he was "greatly interested" in "helping to shape the restart at Hertha BSC. The club has gone through a difficult time. I'm really looking forward to changing that with work, joy and a lot of energy."
The 43-year-old comes from FK Dynamo Moscow. There he lost the cup final against Spartak Moscow last Sunday 2-1 and then announced his departure from Russia. Schwarz had been named coach of the month several times during his Dynamo engagement in Russia.
But there is also criticism - Hertha does not come to rest after the relegation that has just been prevented, the numerous resignations in the executive floor and the ongoing discussions about investor Lars Windhorst: In contrast to other German coaches such as Markus Gisdol or Daniel Farke, he stayed after the Russian attack on Ukraine in the country. 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 ." At the Hertha general meeting on Sunday, some fans had already criticized Schwarz's previously clear coaching CV.
The coach, who was in charge of 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga from 2017 to 2019, should initially lead the Berliners back into safe table areas after years of sporting decline. Under short-term coach Magath, they just managed to stay up against Hamburger SV (0:1/2:0) in the relegation.
Bobic expects an attractive style of play from the new head coach. "It's clear what he has to bring with him. Personality and fire for Hertha," said the managing director. "I would like to see aggressive football, directed forwards, 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.
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 increase further.
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.
