2nd league
Hürzeler versus Walter: The city derby as a coaching duel
Meet each other in the Hamburg city derby; Pauli coach Fabian Hürzeler (r) and HSV coach Tim Walter. photo
© Christian Charisius/dpa
The different types of coaches Fabian Hürzeler and Tim Walter meet in the Hamburg second division city derby between FC St. Pauli and HSV. No tension-free relationship.
He not only has respect for Walter because of his personality, “but also because of his work,” said the 30-year-old Hürzeler before the league game on Friday (6.30 p.m. / Sky). At the same time, he emphasized: “Of course it’s not a friendship. I don’t have to keep it a secret.”
Walter, 18 years older than me, said: “I can confirm that.” Events such as in the Bavarian Regional League six years ago, when Hürzeler, as player-coach of FC Pipinsried, clashed with Walter as coach of FC Bayern Munich II, or the meeting of the two alpha animals in the last city derby in April at the Volksparkstadion (4:3 for HSV ) did not promote an intimate relationship between the two.
Before the 110th edition of the “premier class of derbies”, Walter also spoke of respect for the work of his city rivals and, above all, Hürzeler. “I think he’s doing it well at his age,” he said.
With Hürzeler, things only went up for FC St. Pauli
The latter statement is an understatement: Since Walter’s young colleague was promoted from assistant to head coach almost a year ago, the FC St. Pauli team has only gone uphill – all the way to the top of the table. In 31 league games, the successor to club icon Timo Schultz won 21 times and only suffered two defeats. The last one in April in the wild 109th city derby.
For many years, FC St. Pauli fluctuated between the top third of the table and the relegation zone. Now the team is praised by experts as the best in the 2nd Bundesliga. Hürzeler built a stable structure in eleven months. There were no downward swings like at HSV.
“FC St. Pauli has developed extremely well under Hürzeler,” said Willi Reimann, who once coached the Kiez club and HSV. “It’s not a run, it has a plan, a foundation. It’s extraordinary for such a young coach, you just have to say that.”
Hürzeler has taken the team to another level. Midfield endurance runner Marcel Hartel and striker Johannes Eggestein are examples of this. “You can’t say that we have a first and second row. We are now at the same level. Anyone can play there,” said Eggestein a few weeks ago. There is “positive competition”.
A workers’ club celebrates football art
Hürzeler taught the workers’ club the art of football and is still one of the few to maintain a critical, sober perspective. “Values like humility and modesty are very, very important to me,” says the son of a Swiss dentist and a German mother.
In his first year as head coach, he “learned a lot, in all different areas.” So he learned that he couldn’t treat all players the same, “but had to look at them as individual people.” It is important “that you listen”. He has to set an example in order to get people behind him and to give them appreciation.
Walter has not yet achieved his big goal with HSV
But his colleague Walter is ahead of him in one respect: Hürzeler has not yet experienced a crisis. In his two and a half years as HSV coach, Walter has had to moderate lows several times. What speaks for him is that he managed to get out of it every time. He has not yet managed to return to the Bundesliga – even though the HSV squad is mentioned as the strongest every season. So far there have been two third places and one failure in the relegation.
This season, Walter has had to explain often enough why his team has an impeccable record of seven wins in seven home games at home, but doesn’t come anywhere near the same level away. It sometimes happens that he reacts irritably at press conferences when asked questions that he doesn’t like. Despite the away weakness, Walter and his ensemble are second in the table – a position that 16 of his second division coaching colleagues would like to take before the 15th matchday.
The game on Friday in the Millerntorstadion, seven kilometers away from Volkspark, is not an away game for Walter. “When we play in Hamburg, it’s not about talking about an away game, but about a derby,” said Walter. “And it’s just important that you show emotions and will – and still keep a cool head.”