2nd league
HSV before the next promotion failure
After the lost relegation first leg, his back is against the wall: Hamburg coach Tim Walter. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
HSV is on the verge of failure again. After the one-sided 0: 3 in Stuttgart, there is not much to be said for the Bundesliga return. The second division is but combative – and has a hope.
There was a lot of silence at the Volkspark one day after the low blow in the first leg of the relegation: Mainly the substitutes from Hamburger SV went for a small running session on Friday afternoon, the other players stayed in the weight room.
No autographs for the few fans, no photos, no smiles. Coach Tim Walter also did not show up the day after the 3-0 humiliation at his former club VfB Stuttgart.
After the first half of the relegation, little speaks for the second division third. The weak performance of his players was too sobering. Even after five years in the second division, the top floor of German football will probably continue to be a place of longing for the people of Hamburg.
Hope for the fans and the Volkspark
HSV coach Walter relies on outside help: on the fans. When asked what else would make him optimistic, he replied: “The People’s Park.” But without a miracle, failure again on Monday (8:45 p.m. / Sat.1 and Sky) will be a certainty. “We have to stretch ourselves that we might make the impossible possible on Monday. We’re definitely not giving up,” said Walter. He nervously adjusted his microphone several times at the press conference, speaking of a “used day”.
The people of Hamburg cling to the special atmosphere in the sold-out Volksparkstadion, the force of the 57,000 spectators and the fact that there is still a second chance. What is hope now? “That there is still a second leg,” said HSV captain Sebastian Schonlau. “It can’t get any worse. What should happen to us?” Said the defense chief. “It can only go up from now on. You can also draw strength from that. We play at home. The fans will push us forward.”
The team is also optimistic
Despite everything, the HSV players made an effort to spread optimism. But their voices sounded little. For example with Daniel Heuer Fernandes. “We have to keep believing in ourselves. Anyone who knows us knows that we’ve dealt with setbacks,” said the goalkeeper, who had avoided a major defeat.
VfB Stuttgart impressed like seldom this season. The Swabians showed more offensive power, more speed, more quality than their opponents from the north. From the start they demonstrated that they belong in the first division at the end of a season with a lot of frustration.
This resulted in a quick 1-0 from Konstantinos Mavropanos (1st) and after the break in goals from former HSV professional Josha Vagnoman (51st) and Serhou Guirassy (54th). Not only VfB sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth recognized a “league difference”.
HSV’s weakness: defensive behavior
A little optimism might give HSV that VfB itself has been good for negative experiences in the past few months and, given its usury of chances, missed a brighter starting position. However, the guest appearance in the south-west once again revealed Hamburg’s defensive weaknesses, which were also a reason for the missed direct promotion. “Second League, Hamburg is in” chants could be heard as the HSV professionals sneaked into the catacombs via the Stuttgart stadium construction site.
The balance sheet speaks against HSV anyway: Once again, the first division 16 seems to be in the playoffs. enforce. The statistics spoke even more against Hamburg after the 0: 3 than already. In the six of 24 duels in which the second division team was promoted, none of the clubs had lost the first leg.
“Definitely” it was also due to the individual quality, Walter admitted and criticized his defense, especially when he conceded two goals after corner kicks. “I just don’t have the consistency,” the 47-year-old complained: “As a team, we didn’t act the way I imagined. We can only win games if we’re 100 percent there.”
Believe in the team
For Walter, the return to Stuttgart, where he had failed as a coach in 2019 after just six months, ended with the next serious setback. The coach and sports director Jonas Boldt had spoken offensively that after missing promotion in the 2022 relegation against Hertha BSC it was time for the Bundesliga return.
Now all he had left was defiance. “I trust my team one hundred percent. If we score a quick goal at home with our spectators and come in well, then that will be topped,” said the coach at Sky. He swore his eleven to that. “I told them we could do anything,” he said in his typical way: “Only losers fall, winners get up.” His captain Schonlau said: “If he says so, then we believe it.”