A poor run of form in the final weeks of the season cost Hertha Berlin a place in the top half of the Bundesliga table in what proved to be Pal Dardai's final campaign in charge of the club.
Hertha were once again solid in the first half of the season as some consistent performances by Ondrej Duda and Vedad Ibisevic helped them remain in the top half of the table by the time the winter break arrived despite a couple of poor performances. Duda ended the campaign as top scorer with 11 goals and also chipped in with five assists while Ibisevic continued to prove a reliable goalscorer as he too managed to reach the double figure mark.
Hertha though failed to push themselves up a level and challenge for a European spot and a poor run of six defeats from seven games midway through the campaign dashed any hopes of continental football next season. The run had also seen them drop out of the top half and Dardai announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
They did improve in the final weeks, losing just once in last five games, but it was too little too late in terms of their top half expectations as Hertha finished the campaign in 11th place.
With Dardai leaving the club, Hertha have looked inwards and have appointed their reserves team coach Ante Covic as his replacement. While so far there have not been any major departures, Covic will need to find an alternative to Marko Grujic with the Serbian international playing a key role in the midfield last season but has since returned to Liverpool at the end of his loan deal.
