By Peter Vice @ViceytheSS
n an interview published in Friday’s “Berliner Zeitung”, Hertha BSC midfielder made clear that he felt the capital city side finally had the right coach in place.
| Lucas Tousart | S. Plaine CC-BY-SA 4.0 |
Since being brought in during the massive January 2020 spending spree under the ill-fated Jürgen Klinsmann regime, French midfielder Lucas Tousart has seen his market value plummet from €20 million to €9 million. The now 25-year-old, having had amassed 56 caps for his country at youth level, never saw his dream of appearing for France at senior level realized.
Much of this has to do with the variety of different coaching regimes cycling through Charlottenburg since Tousart’s arrival. Klinsmann. Bruno Labbadia. Pal Dardai. Tayfun Korkuk. Felix Magath. Now Sandro Schwarz.
Although the newly appointed trainer hasn’t exactly gotten off to a rollicking start with his new club (eight points through ten fixtures and an early Pokal elimination), Schwarz has least earned praise in German footballing circles for cultivating a tactical system and sticking with it.
In an interview with the local “Berliner Zeitung”, Tousart made clear he appreciated that.
“Now we have stability,” Tousart said of the team’s current form,” We should have won some games. On the pitch, things are going well. We work well together, we have an idea of our game. Things could be better in terms of results, but it’s not like we’re getting blown out in games.”
“Die alte Dame” have indeed only lost one game by more than one goal; the opening-day derby defeat to 1. FC Union Berlin. Gladbach and Dortmund have only managed narrow victories against Schwarz’s side whilst the team has kept close draws with tough opponents Freiburg, Hoffenheim, Mainz, Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt.
“It was challenging in the first two years,” the team’s current first-choice alternate captain continued, “I think I had five different coaches. That wasn’t good for stability. The playing systems changed, it was difficult to keep adapting to them.”
Tousart also wished to make clear that the Bundesliga was different to Ligue 1 in many ways and that he had adjustments too. Asked about whether he felt the €25 million Hertha paid for him (and his large salary) burdened his play, however, the Frenchman brushed aside the question with a remark about “pre-corona contracts being different”.
Irrespective of this reply, Tousart surely feels as if he’s finally earning his salary now. The former Lyon man has started every match since the current campaign’s second round and only missed seven total minutes of action after being subbed off. He had a chance to record his seventh goal for the capital city side in a 1-1 draw with Mainz on matchday seven.
After a near spectacular comeback against RB Leipzig last weekend, prospects for three points against reeling Schalke this coming Sunday appear bright. Should Schwarz’s side deliver the Königisblauen their sixth consecutive defeat on Sunday, they have an excellent chance of distancing themselves from the relegation pack.
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