HSV faced a setback in Elversberg, abruptly halting their recent positive trend with a 4-2 defeat. Coach Steffen Baumgart expressed frustration over the team’s lack of cohesion and resilience, while sporting director Stefan Kuntz criticized their performance. Despite other teams dropping points, HSV missed a crucial opportunity to rise to the top of the Bundesliga 2 table, now slipping to fifth place. Upcoming matches pose challenges, especially with key defensive players unavailable.
HSV has once again stumbled in Elversberg, abruptly halting the positive momentum they had built up in recent weeks. The looming challenges of the upcoming English week are compounded by personnel issues.
HSV head coach Steffen Baumgart expressed his frustration following the match. Just one week after his team briefly secured a top-three position in the league, touting their impressive form and squad depth, they find themselves back in crisis mode. “We’ve been in a positive flow for seven or eight games, and now we’ve dismantled it all in one half,” Baumgart lamented after the 4-2 loss in Elversberg on Saturday.
While it’s some relief that the standings in Bundesliga 2 remained largely unchanged—top teams Fortuna Düsseldorf and Karlsruher SC also dropped points—HSV missed a golden opportunity. A victory in Elversberg could have catapulted them to the top of the table. Instead, with Hannover’s win over Magdeburg, HSV slipped to fifth place.
Hamburger SV’s unbeaten streak of six games came to a disheartening end in the Saarland. Initially, they appeared to be in control for the first half-hour of the match.
Baumgart is “more than disappointed”
Baumgart voiced his discontent, observing, “It seemed like each player was fighting for themselves instead of the team.” He declared he was “more than disappointed” with their performance. HSV’s sporting director, Stefan Kuntz, echoed similar sentiments: “What frustrated me the most was that we were not the team on the pitch today, unlike Elversberg,” Kuntz remarked during his interview with ‘Sky.’
Kuntz delivers a strong message
Kuntz was candid in pinpointing the team’s issues: “If we want to be promoted, we knew we needed points from this match. We didn’t achieve that. Why can’t anyone step up? The players who performed best were the ones who have barely played for HSV. This is a chance for growth that we failed to seize today.” He also criticized the team’s response after conceding goals: “Where is the leadership? Why isn’t anyone vocal on the pitch? These are basic aspects of soccer that we need to master.”
Upcoming challenges in the DFB Cup
Both Kuntz and Baumgart discussed the need for a “wake-up call.” Baumgart stressed that the current standings and performances like the one in Elversberg aren’t sufficient for their ambitions. The forthcoming schedule doesn’t present an easy path to recovery: on Wednesday at 6 PM, HSV faces a tough challenge in the DFB Cup at Bundesliga club SC Freiburg. The last encounter between the two teams, two and a half years ago, saw Hamburg falling 3-1 at home.
League match against Nürnberg poses further challenges
The upcoming league match doesn’t offer much respite. HSV will host 1. FC Nürnberg next Sunday, who have been on a scoring spree with 15 goals in their last three matches. Unfortunately for HSV, they will be without key defenders Sebastian Schonlau and Jonas Meffert due to suspensions. Additionally, Baumgart’s indecisiveness regarding the number one goalkeeper may hinder their stability, especially after Daniel Heuer Fernandes struggled with at least one goal against Elversberg. While Matheo Raab is set to return for the DFB Cup, it remains unclear who will guard the goal against Nürnberg.
Coach Steffen Baumgart is hesitant to declare a definitive starting goalkeeper, with both options still under assessment.
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Hamburg Journal | 27.10.2024 | 19:30