No. 22--Hertha Berlin vs. FC Bayern Munich German Soccer: A Strong Defense by the Weaker Team Kept Them to from Losing

By Soccer Coach Albert M. Luongo

This game on Dec. 15, 2007 ended with no score for either team. FC Bayern Munich being the dominant team could not score against the less aggressive Hertha Berlin. How can a team that dominates the field for most of the game not fail to score against a weaker midfield team? The answer is almost always that a weaker team with a strong defense, making few defensive errors can prevent the opposition from scoring. While totally dominating the first half, Bayern Munich attempted to attack Hertha Berlin’s defense. However, Hertha Berlin’s defense team backed up with each dribbling player and generally did not attempt to tackle the ball while it was under control of the dribbler.That is excellent defense. They maintained themselves in front of their attackers and were careful not to fall for fake movements on the apart of their attackers. This excellent defense frustrated Bayern Munich.

Hertha Berlin’s management must have given its team a strong pep talk during the half time because this team reappeared on the field aggressively at the beginning of the second half. Up to the end of the first half, it seemed that it was just a matter of time before Bayern Munich would score as they had many attacking chances, even though Hertha Berlin’s defense thwarted them continuously. However after about 15 minutes into the half, Bayern Munich again dominated the field of play for most of the remaining game allowing only sporadic attacks by Berlin. Within a few minutes to the end of the game, Hertha Berlin’s defense was caught off guard however. Bayern’s Miroslav Klose was running at top speed towards the goal with two of Berlin’s defenders on his heels. Somehow the defense failed this time to be in front of their opposition attacker. This was a big mistake. Klose got of the shot but it went high off the mark. Berlin got off lucky.


FC Bayern’s passes were more accurate than those of Hertha’s. And they were more aggressive going for the loose ball. Also, it appeared that Bayern's team was in better endurance shape than that Hertha Berlin. With all of this dominance on the field, they could only produce a few crosses due to the opposition defensive pressure.

Many of Hertha Berlin’s passes were indiscriminate and therefore gave them only a few good chances to score, but their strong defense and excellent slide tackles kept them from losing the match. While their defense was adequate, the few chance to score by Hertha were mostly due to the defensive mistakes of FC Bayern Munich.

With both teams, most of the shots on goal were high and sailed over the goal. This is quite common in soccer even in with the most professional athletes. But at least each had a commendable defense.

Young players and coaches should take note of what went right and what went wrong in this game.

1. Rigorous conditioning and training of players gives them more speed and endurance throughout the game.
2. Endurance and accurate passing allows a team to dominate a game, if the other team is weaker in either or both of these two areas.
3. A strong defense making few defensive errors can prevent one's own team from losing a soccer match.
4. Kicks on goal must be taken with the body over the ball in order for the shots to not rise above the goal. This must be practiced frequently.

All of the above information is the author's opinion. This article in no way is meant to degrade, discredit or defame any team or person. Its sole purpose is to improve the skills of young soccer players, coaches and the game itself.