In his third year at Hamburger SV, Ludovit Reis finally wants to achieve his big goal: a return to the Bundesliga. In order to be part of this mission, the midfielder turned down clubs from the Bundesliga in the summer.
“Hamburg has become my home, I love the club, the fans. I’m needed at HSV. Because I’m far from finished,” said the 23-year-old when asked about a move in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
The decision to stay was therefore easy, despite the exit clause. Before the season, Reis also had the feeling that promotion would finally work this time.
This self-image was also visible on the pitch at HSV at the start of the season. With four wins from the first five league games, the Hanseatic team quickly presented themselves as one of the top favorites for the top spots.
But then the relapse into old patterns followed with defeats against SV Elversberg and VfL Osnabrück. However, such snapshots should in no way allow one’s self-image to crumble, demanded Reis.
“Without conviction, you don’t need to pursue a goal. We just have to stick to ourselves – and performances like in Elversberg and Osnabrück must not happen again,” said the Dutchman. Although he couldn’t really explain the bankruptcies against the two promoted teams, Reis admitted.
Tim Walter at HSV as a tough dog
The first sign of improvement came last Friday when the Rothosen won the intense top game against Fortuna Düsseldorf 1-0.
According to Reis, the increase in performance was mainly due to coach Tim Walter, who fired up the team with punishing training. “What was striking was that it was good for us. Against Düsseldorf we were in the game with full energy. That’s crucial,” said the former Barca player.
In addition, there is now the necessary unity in the team to deal with setbacks.
“As players and as a team, we give 100 percent every day. The team has top character,” praised HSV’s midfield engine: “We have a lot of players with different characters in the team, a good mix, everything fits together well. We are a family.”