Nostalgia for East Germany when RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin meet – well, kind of

Ian Hawkey writes of the historical and geographical implications in play when two eastern clubs, jostling near the top of the Bundesliga, meet on Saturday.

RB Leipzig players celebrate a goal in a match against Bayer Leverkusen last month. Patrik Stollarz / AFP / November 18, 2016

‘Ostalgia’, as they call it in Germany, is a fading fashion.

True, in the market stalls of Berlin and Leipzig, there is still a trade in memorabilia from a country that no longer exists, the German Democratic Republic, a place that a majority of Germans still know instinctively by its acronym, the DDR.

Elsewhere, we knew it as East Germany, the socialist state that had a famously impenetrable border from 1945 until it collapsed as an entity at the end of the 1980s.

East Germany even played against West Germany at a World Cup, when the smaller nation defeated the bigger one in a match in the 1974 finals that ‘Ostalgics’ look back on as a high point in sport. ‘Ossis’ is the term used of East Germans, some of whom are said to indulge in ‘Ostalgia’ for the old days.

Mostly, the east of Germany has suffered in terms of regional pride since the Berlin Wall came down and the two Germanys became one. That political reunification took place at about the time the old West Germany were celebrating winning the 1990 World Cup.

“A united Germany will become even stronger in football, you’ll see,” predicted Franz Beckenbauer, the manager of the West German world champions of that year.

The old East Germany did indeed supply great footballers in the years ahead, men such as Matthias Sammer and Michael Ballack.

But by the time a united Germany won their next World Cup, in Brazil in 2014, their team included only one footballer born in what used to be the independent east – Toni Kroos, now of Real Madrid.

As for the Bundesliga, it has drifted over 25 years to resemble the old West German Bundesliga. The clubs from the old East German league either plummeted or sank gradually after they joined.

The likes of Hansa Rostock and Dynamo Dresden are now strictly lower-division. The economic strains on the east are reflected in the sporting hierarchy: West is best, stronger, more go-getting.

Yet on Saturday a top-flight meeting takes place between two clubs in cities that formed part of the old East Germany.

RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin are enjoying the kind of elevated view over the rest of their league that you seldom get from their part of the country. Ahead of the so-called ‘Feast in the East’, Hertha – who are sat in third spot – will visit Leipzig, who are in second place and behind champions Bayern Munich only on goal difference.

But this is not a fixture universally celebrated by Ostalgics.

RB Leipzig, promoted last summer and pace-setters at the top of the Bundesliga until last weekend’s first defeat of the campaign at Ingolstadt, are a young club with no history in the DDR.

Financed by the Red Bull corporation, they have stormed up the divisions and gained a significant fanbase. But they are viewed with suspicion in the east for their nouveau riche ambition, and in the west for their upstart ambition.

Hertha, meanwhile, are from west Berlin, the part of the city that was on the non-DDR side of the wall in the years of the divided Germany.

They have at times in recent years looked like ill-fitting tenants of the remodelled Olympic stadium, a grand area for a club without a vast budget. Hertha spent less than €7 million (Dh27m) on total recruitment in the summer.

Leipzig spent more than twice that just on Oliver Burke, the Scottish winger signed from the English Championship side Nottingham Forest.

He and the rest of the Leipzig squad have enjoyed a scarcely believable ride through the autumn months. On Saturday they are responsible for attributing the bragging rights of the east.

Then on Wednesday, Leipzig take on Bayern. Win against Hertha and the reigning champions, and they will go into the winter break on top.

“This is a testing period for us,” manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said. “But we like a hard challenge.”

Player of the Week: Kevin Strootman

Once upon a time, he was dubbed the most complete central midfielder in Europe. Kevin Strootman seemed to have the perfect blend of athleticism, technique and ball-winning ability to operate as an anchor in the modern game. But two and half years of injury put him on the margins. Now he is galvanising Roma’s bit to wrest the Italian title from Juventus, who they host on Saturday night.

Ban lifted Strootman may count himself slightly fortunate to be preparing for the clash between the leaders and second-placed Serie A teams at the Stadio Olimpico. He picked up a two-match ban for alleged simulation during Roma's 2-0 win over Lazio two weekends ago, but it was overturned on appeal.

High passions The incident itself revealed Strootman's … well, his exuberant side. He had been booked for his part in a brawl that arose from a clash with a Lazio substitute, Danilo Cataldi, whom Strootman had apparently provoked by flicking water from a bottle at him while celebrating Roma's second goal. Cataldi tugged Strootman's jersey, and the midfielder fell dramatically.

Long road back The Dutchman could be forgiven a certain feverish excitement. He had scored Roma's second goal in the match, and has spent so much of his time since 2014 watching from the stands as Roma's seasons began well and then stuttered. Now he is having an impact, a key man in a formidably combative midfield trio alongside Radja Naingollan and Daniele De Rossi.

The Washing Machine Roma fans nicknamed Strootman, who joined the club from PSV Eindhoven aged 23 in the summer of 2013, 'lavatrice', or washing machine, for his capacity to clean up loose balls and everything else in midfield. In his first six months, he had a fairly pristine fitness record, too, but that was to change drastically.

Treatment table Strootman first ruptured his cruciate ligament in March 2014, bad timing for Holland, whose then head coach Louis Van Gaal described him as pivotal to his plans for that year's World Cup. Roma suffered even worse. He was out of action for six and half months. And the knee problems returned, again and again, requiring two operations, at a cost of 90 Roma fixtures in the last three seasons.

After the pain, Roma's gain If there is a silver lining for the Italian club, it is that Strootman is still with them. At the time his injury nightmare began, a range of clubs were preparing huge bids to sign him, including the Manchester United Van Gaal was soon to manage. Real Madrid were said to be keen. Roma might not have resisted had those suitors pursued their interest. They are relieved that, at last, they have their star at full throttle.

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