Pál Dárdai: I'll continue to work for the club next season as well

– Do you think you deserve the cigar?
– I think so, yes. – Pál Dárdai, who returned to Hertha BSC's bench this January and saved his team from relegation in the Bundesliga just before the last round, started as such in his exclusive interview with Nemzeti Sport. – After we secured our top-flight status with a draw against Cologne, our press agent gave me a box of Cuban cigars, and I smoked one on Saturday night.

– Did the players surprise you with something?
– With a huge bottle of wine. If I'm not mistaken, it was three liters... I would like to stress that I did not drink it alone.

– It was a big celebration then, wasn't it?
– Oh, yes! We took a load off our minds. Following the rules, we couldn't go home after the game. We returned to the hotel we moved into at the end of April, where we blew off steam. I heard the hardcore members partied until 6am; I went to bed at 2 in the morning. The last time I stayed up this long was on New Year's Eve in 2012.

– There was something to toast: what you promised at the end of January was met.
– I accomplish what I take on! For the record, it wasn't easy. When I first went into the locker room, I didn't see a team, but individual players. The first and most important task was to make them a team. After completing it, we started going up. We have now come to the point where we are unbeaten in eight games straight. If we don't lose the last round at Hoffeinheim's home, we can end the season with a wonderful series. We should be as proud of that as fighting to stay in the Bundesliga.

– Are you over the toughest months of your coaching career?
– Yes. We had to deal with a lot of difficulties. When it looked like we were starting to catch up, the pandemic happened. There were three unbeaten games behind our back when it hit us. We were home for two weeks, and we had no idea what would happen to us when quarantine was over. All we knew was that we had to play six games in three weeks – that was anything, but easy. However, we managed to finally solve that, too. When I took over the team, I knew I could only lose. What I've built in Berlin for the last 24 years would've been thrown out the window if we relegated. I think I can say I saved not only the team but also my own buttocks by avoiding relegation.

– Was there a day when you felt like you weren't succeeding?
– If we had lost to Schalke on Wednesday, we would've put ourselves in great danger... It mattered a lot that we won in Gelsenkirchen, and we were able to play against Cologne in the knowledge that we didn't have to win at all times – a draw could be enough. And that's what happened. A lot of things are mind over matter. When I returned to the first team, it was bad to look at the draw: four of our first five opponents were the top teams. On paper, we had a realistic chance of winning against one team only – and we did earn a point against Stuttgart. Bayern München, RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Wolfsburg, on the other hand, defeated us, and we were in a difficult situation. At that time, not only did I have to be a coach, but also a psychologist. Fortunately, we pulled ourselves out of the hole. It's part of the story that Arne Friedrich was my supporter. Our sporting director was constantly by my side, by our side, and I could rely on him in everything. We have an honest relationship, and sometimes we argue, but that's what it took to move forward. He also deserves a cigar!

– When did you feel the tables turn and you start going up?
– When we defeated Leverkusen 3-0. That was a big victory, though there were signs we would do well because the team trained hard the days before the match. It's another matter that we played a very bad game with Union Berlin in the next round. We still earned one point, but I thought: ‘Oh, what's going to happen now?!' The winnable matches are coming up, but we're terrible... Compared to that, we had a tie of 2-2 against Mönchengladbach a week later, which again gave me hope.

– Then came the virus...
– A lot of people were convinced that Hertha would relegate. Of course, we thought otherwise. We knew that if we could get back to the pitch, we'd have a hell of a ride ahead of us, but I came up with something. I rotated the team members as much as I could, taking care of the players like eggshells. Thanks to the staff's work we didn't have anyone with a muscle injury. If someone couldn't play, it was either because of a broken leg or suspension. Although we were completely out of attackers by the end, before the game against Cologne I was asking myself: ‘Who's going to score the goals?!' We didn't score, but fate wanted us to reach our goal without any.

– The match against Hoffenheim has no stake then?
– Of course, it has! Since we've been unbeaten for eight games straight, we don't want to lose the ninth. Not to mention that we could finish 12^th if we win. Monday is still a resting day, so we'll kill time in the hotel somehow. From Tuesday, we're working on a nice end to finish the season. Our situation is made more difficult by the fact that not many of us are left in the end, but it makes it easier that we don't have to worry about our future. What could motivate us all is that on Saturday night we can finally go home, and everything becomes more beautiful. I'll go home first, then to Hungary. I can't wait to be at Lake Balaton.

– What about your middle son, Márton?
– If I run into him in the hallway, I'm going to pat him on the shoulder because he played well on Saturday. However, the most important task is still ahead of him: he is about to take the Matura. If he's done with that, we're good. He's just extended his contract, so he's on the right track. He's respectful, a good kid, and his mates love him. I think he's got a bright future ahead of him. However, it's too early to talk about being capped for the national team. Just because he's got 10 Bundesliga games doesn't have to wear the national team uniform. When he played 80 games, we can talk about it then. He's 19 years old, and besides studying, he needs to make sure he handles things in place. Not that he's got a problem with that.

– And what about his father?
– I have a contract with Hertha. I'll continue to work for the club next season as well, but the managment will decide whether for the first team or the youth team.

– You must have an opinion on this.
– I'll do what they say. We shall play the last game and see what happens then.

– Then I ask you this way: what would you want?
– To eat lángos at Aunt Zsuzsi on Lake Balaton.

Translated by Vanda Orosz