Hertha aim to move on from Babbel departure

Caretaker Hertha Berlin manager Rainer Widmayer hopes the club can put Markus Babbel’s departure behind them when they take on Kaiserslautern.

Hertha face fellow Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday, with Babbel’s former assistant Widmayer to take the reins on the back of a six-game winless run.

“I think the game tomorrow is so important that it doesn’t make sense to linger in the past but we have to look forward. The team and I will have to play a great game and just qualify for the next round. The team is ready and fired up to give the right response to their fans,” he said.

“We need to try and keep the ball and find the right balance between defense and offense in order to change gears when we have the ball and then create chances. There will be a team on the pitch tomorrow that will give everything for Hertha.”

Hertha parted ways with Babbel after he criticised the club for their reaction to his refusal to sign a new deal at the end of the year.

Hertha have been linked with Eskisehirspor boss Michael Skibbe as a permanent replacement, but the 46-year-old has denied rumours that he could be on his way to the club.