Hertha's team of tomorrow

By Manfred Christoph

Hertha BSC Berlin have once again fired a warning to the traditional giants of the Bundesliga with a team brimful of youthful promise.

Untried youngsters
Hertha are set to repeat last season’s qualification for the UEFA Cup - four points from their remaining two matches will guarantee their place - thanks in part to the promotion of inexperienced players to the first team. As with other German clubs, Hertha have been forced through economic necessity to turn to untried youngsters.

Class gulf
Whereas a rising star at the likes of champions FC Bayern München or BV Borussia Dortmund would expect to turn up to training in a pristine new car, Hertha’s 20-year-old central defender Alexander Madlung makes do with the train or a lift from team-mate Roberto Pinto.

Professional contract
Madlung started the season at Hertha’s reserve side in the fourth division and despite a promotion to the first team, where he has made eight appearances and earned a call-up to Germany's Under-21 squad, the youngster has yet to sign a professional contract.

Secure hands
Madlung has been joined at international level by team-mates Denis Lapaczinski and Thorben Marx. Both are 21, but the latter is a relative Bundesliga veteran having played on 26 occasions, scoring two goals from a defensive midfield role. The 19-year-old Rafael Nando is expected to follow in their footsteps and club captain Michael Preetz, who will retire at the end of the current campaign, is positive the future is in secure hands. “With these young players coming through it’s the beginning of a new era,” he said.

Stevens role
Club president Dieter Hoeness has not been surprised by the progress made by the youth brigade, highlighting the role played by Dutch coach Huub Stevens. “He's very familiar with youth development having worked as youth co-ordinator at PSV Eindhoven,” said Hoeness. “He gets the young players involved with the first team. For example, they will have breakfast with them on the Sunday after a game and sit through the tactical meeting, which is helpful.”

'Reaping the rewards'
He added: “We started to sow the seeds five years ago by investing in our youth teams. Now we can start reaping the rewards.” In fact, there are at present 20 Hertha players involved at various levels of the German national side including Under-20 regulars Malik Fatih and Sofian Chahed.

Comfortable environment
Marx, for one, believes that the young players feel comfortable in their environment and their good form can be attributed to Stevens' faith in their abilities. “He’s put his trust in us even at this crucial part of the season,” he said. “This has built-up our self-confidence.”

Learn from errors
Stevens, who took over at Hertha last summer, following a spell at FC Schalke 04 where he won the UEFA Cup in 1997, is of the opinion that young players learn from their errors. “If they are not allowed to make any mistakes then we might as well stop,” he claimed.

International recognition
Another player to benefit from the arrival of Stevens is 23-year-old defender Arne Friedrich who, after only two league appearances following a move from DSC Arminia Bielefeld, was called up to the full Germany squad last August and now has seven caps to his name. Even more experienced players are following suit, with 28-year-old Michael Hartmann’s consistent performances at left-back finally securing international recognition.

Homespun policy
The rest of the Bundesliga may look on with envy as Hertha continue to unearth a constant production line of prodigies, but their homespun policy can only benefit German football in the long run.