Kevin-Prince Boateng is Felix Magath's extended arm on the pitch. Now the Hertha coach is commenting on his tactical plan – and how it worked against VfB Stuttgart, among others.

Hertha trainer Felix Magath sees his tactical plan with Kevin-Prince Boateng in the fight against relegation from the Bundesliga as a complete success.

“From day one I wanted Prince to be on the pitch in the finals. That's why I initially left him on the bench against teams with strong play. The risk of injury was too great," said the 68-year-old to "Bild" newspaper. "He should convince against Augsburg, Stuttgart and Bielefeld. And he did.” Hertha scored seven points in the games against their immediate rivals in the relegation battle.

The 35-year-old should also play a key role in the home game against FSV Mainz 05 next Saturday .

“Prince is the decisive factor in the important games. His skills are now in demand. He has to lead us to stay up,” said Magath. With a win, Hertha can ensure relegation one game day before the season finale at Borussia Dortmund.

For Magath, the former Ghana international brings structure to the Berlin game and fulfills the leadership role on the pitch that has been sought for so long. "Prince can lead the team," said Magath, "the last few games have shown that impressively."