Imagine if you spent a vast proportion of your hard-earned fortune renovating your house, only to end up with a leaky ceiling, windows that don’t fit, a broken refrigerator and floorboards that go squeak in the night.
Well, that’s probably how Lars Windhorst felt as Hertha Berlin went 4-1 down at home to an Eintracht Frankfurt side who hadn’t scored in any of their previous three Bundesliga fixtures last weekend.
The German entrepreneur poured around £350 million into the capital club over the last three years. Maybe his next investment should be in the time machine industry. Because, as things stand, he won’t be getting much of a return on his investment.
Hertha, with Windhorst pulling the strings, were supposed to force their way into the European picture. Instead, they’re sinking like a stone.
And even the return of veteran captain Dedryck Boyata hasn’t made a difference. The 31-year-old Belgium international joined Hertha a couple of weeks before Windhorst completed his takeover in 2019 – arriving on a free transfer from Celtic.
But, as Boyata threw himself to the ground in a desperate and doomed attempt to stop Rafael Santos Borre waltzing through Hertha’s wafer-thin defence on Saturday afternoon, it became painfully clear that the former Hoops stopper is part of the problem, rather than a potential solution.
Is Dedryck Boyata regretting leaving Celtic now?
Hertha have now slipped into the relegation play-off places.
Given the direction of travel – four defeats in a row, eight in 13 games since the much-maligned head coach Tayfun Korkut was appointed in November – finishing 16th in an 18-strong league would feel like a success.
It really is, given the nature of their current performances, the best Hertha can hope for.
That 4-1 thumping at Frankfurt was the ninth time this season in which Hertha have conceded three or more goals in a Bundesliga game. During Boyata’s last three matches, Korkut’s red-faced rabble have lost by an aggregate score of 10-2.
You won’t find many Celtic supporters feeling much sympathy though. Boyata refused to sign a new contract at Parkhead and departed on a free after running down his deal, much to the frustration of the Glasgow giants.
“It is an ambitious club and we have similar goals,” Boyata told Sky upon his unveiling at the Olimpiastadion.
At the time, Boyata probably felt that he’d be leading Hertha into a Champions League charge. Instead, he, like Windhorst, may be wishing he could turn back the clock.
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