Situation at Hamburger SV
If you want to look at it really optimistically, then even the double is still in there: direct promotion and cup triumph in Berlin. But particularly annoying for the Hanseatic League: This weekend they are forced to watch – the reason: After another Corona case, HSV does not have enough players against Erzgebirge Aue. The game was canceled late Friday evening. According to the DFL rules of the game, a team must have at least 16 players who are eligible to play. That is not guaranteed at HSV these days.
But there was nothing to celebrate in the league recently: two bankruptcies framed the entry into the semi-finals of the DFB Cup. On paper, Hamburger SV has the easiest final spurt of the season ahead of them. In seven of the nine games, the respective opponent is currently in the bottom half of the table, four times even in the bottom third. However, the last three seasons in the second division have shown that this does not have to be an advantage at HSV. The legendary home 1: 5 against SV Sandhausen on June 28, 2020 should not have completely ousted even the biggest optimists in Hamburg.
Jonas Boldt, Sport Director Hamburger SV, has to use a few phrases to continue to appear optimistic in the promotion race: “I don’t throw in the towel after 25 matchdays. We don’t stop either, To play football. I can read the table, that’s perfectly fine. There are still a few games to play and then we’ll see what comes out of it.”
On this match day, the Hanseatic League have to lean back in their armchairs and follow the league on TV – instead of being able to intervene themselves.
The situation at FC Schalke
As little as there is sporting going on at Schalke at the moment, there is so much off the pitch again. Sponsor separation from the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, then the dismissal of Dimitrios Grammozis and finally the interim solution Mike Büskens, who, like his sports director Rouven Schröder, is now suffering from Corona. The 3:4 home defeat against relegation candidate Rostock showed that, apart from Simon Terodde, hardly anyone could meet the really big demands. The rest of the program is tough: there are duels with relegation candidates first, and later the royal blue also have Bremen, St. Pauli and Darmstadt in front of their chests.
Interim coach Mike Büskens is facing up to his commitment as the original Schalke player: “This isn’t about Mike Büskens, it’s about the club. We all have a responsibility to tackle the remaining nine games as successfully as we can.” Schroeder adds: “We will know on May 15 if that was the right time for a change of coach. It was time to make an impact.”