Hertha BSC have been nothing short of a revelation in their return to the Bundesliga this season. Their key players have shown up and grown together, the fans have been the cliché 12th man and their manager has grown to become a firm favourite in the city since his arrival.
Raphael Honigstein’s latest anagram “Second Season Syndrome” (SSS) is something that could come to haunt BSC as it has done so many times, unless one very key issue is resolved in the summer.
Augsburg are the prime example of what Hertha want to be. They’re doing the Bundesliga a world of good in their third season since promotion, going against the recent word of European football fans and showing that good teams can be created on shoe-string budgets in the Bundesliga whilst the giants of the league take all the good players (Obvious joke).
One of the key aspects to Augsburg’s success in this second season (which can often destroy the recently promoted sides looking to seal their position in the top-flight) is that they have kept their key players over the summer. Keeping the squad together from the first season of success is what has led Augsburg on to their success this, their second season. This is what could be the sting in BSC’s tail in the off-season.
You can definitely argue that they’ve had a number of contributors to their success in this campaign, you’d be right in saying that. The likes of Ronny, Hosogai, Skjelbred, Schulz and Lustenberger have all impressed immensely so far. But their best, most reliable player in the season so far is on the wish-list of those bigger teams that promoted clubs have problems battling against.
Adrián Ramos is a rare talent, much like the man he is being talked up to replace in Dortmund. He’s fast, strong both in the air and with the ball at feet. He can take a defender for a ride down the channels, or leave him in his wake when one-on-one and he is confident in all goal-scoring areas. All these attributes wouldn’t have been talked about if they hadn’t been on show throughout the season so far.
It’s rare to see anyone other than Stefan Kießling or Robert Lewandowski on top of the scoring charts in the Bundesliga. Ramos’ 14 goals in the league this season so far see him at the top of that table. It’s a lot more common in football nowadays to see a striker that can score from every possible situation; this is exactly what Ramos brings to the table.
Only the best one dimensional strikers (Robin van Persie as a prime example) can make it at the top of the game. Ramos has no weakness in his goal-scoring ability, which has been proven with how he has scored his goals this season (5 headers, 5 right-foot, 3 left-foot, 1 other). Not to mention that he has been involved in 18 of Hertha’s 31 league goals this season, including his 4 assists.
Whilst Augsburg kept their best players from their first season after promotion, they also bought players in that have had great seasons so far. All of this with a small amount of money to spend. The situation in Hertha is very different heading into the summer, with a recent influx of funds that could give BCS an advantage against the possible SSS.
At the end of January, American financial investors ‘Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts’ (KKR) wiped out BSC’s debt by injecting €61.2m into the club. This investment has given Hertha the ability to invest in their squad to withstand the pressures of staying in the Bundesliga for 2 years plus. Soon after Hertha received the investment, they offered Ramos an extension to his contract, with a substantial increase in his wage.
Ramos’ mind looks to have already been made up however, and he has continued to express his desire to leave the club come the summer, as Bild revealed. “I want a new challenge” said Ramos. “I’ve loved my time in Berlin, but at 28 my career is at a stage in which I want to go as far as I can, while I can.”
Without the exploits of the Colombian striker this season, Hertha would be in deep trouble. It’ll be the same next season without an adequate replacement to make up for the loss in goals that would inevitably come, but the money is now there for that player/players to be brought in.
BSC are looking more and more likely to welcome back striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga at the end of the season, from his loan at Hamburg. Hamburg’s relegation looks a serious possibility now and Lasogga is unlikely to move down with Hamburg to the 2. Bundesliga on a permanent basis. So without spending a penny, one player is set to come in. But like I said at the start of the article, the key is keeping the squad from the last season together.
Whilst Lasogga is likely to return from his Hamburg loan, Hertha have had Per Ciljan Skjelbred on-loan from Hamburg for this season. It would be a coo to have him sign permanently over the summer, helping to keep the core of this season’s squad together.
All the basics are there now for BSC to establish themselves as a Bundesliga team. It’s been a long wait for Berlin to have their team in the position they are in now. It’s up to the manager and the men backing him to sign the right players to bring what could be a huge European club forward. They have the stadium, the fans and the money; now it’s time for the squad.
No team wants to lose its best players, so if Ramos does leave it will have to be BSC’s only big loss in terms of their squad, if Jos Luhukay wants to bring this club together in the Bundesliga.