Hertha Berlin wanted to improve communication between analysts, coaches and players in real-time environments. We caught up with Dominik Wohlert, Chief Analyst at the Bundesliga side, to understand how they deal specifically with the challenges of analysing football in live situations.

One of the key aims of Hertha BSC’s analysis workflow is to analyse situations and provide feedback as quickly as possible, whether that be team tactics or individual performance. This can only be possible with a well-structured framework that provides seamless communication between all parties.

“A big problem with in-game analysis before we started using Hudl Replay was the conversation with the coaching staff,” said Wohlert. “It took way more time because I had to explain the situation to them. Now (using Hudl Replay) they can see footage on their own.

“On a matchday, we use an internal wired network for communication between the stands and the bench. During training we created our own wireless network that allows me to interface with the coach directly. We use Hudl Replay regularly in every training session and on match day, whether we are at home or away.”

The viewing suite, where Hertha's players and staff analyse game footage.

Having smooth and visual communication between the analyst and the coach is not important, it’s actually critical. The ability to immediately react to an opponent’s tactics or to a bad situation on the pitch can be the difference between winning or losing.

“On a match day, Hudl Replay has a big impact on the game,” said Wohlert. “It makes the conversation much easier and I can show them (the coaching staff) situations on the pitch without having to explain what’s going on. They can see the match from a different perspective and then make better decisions for the team.”

Matchday analysis is only one of the many aspects of video analysis controlled by Wohlert’s five-man team. At Hertha BSC, a great deal of attention is also paid to training to provide what he describes as “powerful moments to improve the players’ capabilities”.

Dominik Wohlert, Chief Analyst of Hertha Berlin.

“In the past, it was normal for players to go shower right at the end of the training session, forgetting a lot of what happened on the pitch,” said Wohlert. “Now we get a huge benefit from training because we can speak with them on the pitch, show them the situations that are going on and help them make things better. The players like Hudl Replay because they’re interested in having direct feedback and now we can provide them with what they want.”

“In my daily work, I use both Replay and Sportscode. The link between the two tools is good and fast. It allows me to share my specific instances with mine or the coaches iPad and I think it’s a huge benefit for my work”.

“Hudl Replay allows us to react to the opponent in-game. It helps us make better decisions.”

To learn more about recent developments in Hudl Replay, watch Hudl Presents: Performance Analysis in 2020 HERE.