HSV needs a football miracle in the relegation second leg against VfB Stuttgart on Monday to be promoted to the Bundesliga. The 3-0 defeat from the first leg is a heavy burden for Hamburg, who have to improve their game by 100 percent in the second duel with the Swabians in order to “make the impossible possible”, as coach Tim Walter demands.
There is hectic activity on Sylvesterallee these days. Renovation work is being carried out on the aging Volksparkstadion for the European Championships next year. In addition, the training ground, which is in the shadow of the arena, is being tinkered with. In the past few days, construction vehicles have been thundering past the pitches where the HSV pros were preparing for the duel with VfB.
The picture had a symbolic character, as coach Walter also had to work through many, many construction sites before the second comparison with the Swabians on Monday evening (8.45 p.m., in the full audio report and in the live ticker at the sports show).
Walter calls for clear ones performance increase
The performance of the Hanseatic League on Thursday evening in Stuttgart did not come close to meeting Bundesliga standards. She wasn’t even top of the second division. HSV was completely overwhelmed in all parts of the team. If VfB hadn’t usurped their chances and keeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes had shown a gala performance including a saved penalty, the North Germans would have gone down 0:6 or even 0:7. Even professional optimist Walter couldn’t close his eyes to that.
“If our players don’t get their 100 percent, we as a team have little to complain about against another team that is well equipped individually and on the bench. That was the case that day,” said the 47-year-old and demanded with a view to the second leg: “We have to try to do better on Monday.”
Coach defends offensive alignment
However, the question arises as to whether the team is even able to play better against the individually clearly superior VfB than in the first duel. Some players, such as defenders Moritz Heyer and Jonas David or defensive midfield strategist Jonas Meffert, were clearly shown their footballing and athletic limits. Other kickers like Ludovit Reis or Robert Glatzel, who are said to have potential for the Bundesliga, went down in a team that was left without a leader. In retrospect, the fact that Walter also used the “Walter Ball”, i.e. his high-risk football, against the offensively strong Swabians was certainly not beneficial either.
System criticism continues to bounce off the trainer. “Football is also always a one-on-one sport. It’s not always about philosophy, it’s also about being on the ball in terms of individual and group tactics. We weren’t always that that day,” explained the 47-year-old.
Despite his team’s footballing oath of disclosure, HSV’s second division record coach was far from breaking the baton about his team. Instead, he once again emphasized the great morality. “The boys have already suffered a few setbacks. And we always got back up. We have comeback qualities,” said Walter. “We always manage to come back. We may not always get our best performance on the pitch, but we will fight to the end. It’s been in our gene for two years.”
His hope for a football miracle is fueled not only by the aforementioned morality, but also by the expected support from the fans in the completely sold-out Volksparkstadion. “The first goal is to score a goal and then the North, the South, the West and the East will go along with it,” said the coach.
What will happen to Walter and Boldt if they don’t get promoted?
“We try to take everyone with us,” announced Walter and then added with a lot of pathos: “We are a family and I am convinced of my family.” Since its relegation five years ago, HSV has somehow been like the Bundys from the TV classic “A Terribly Nice Family”: Whatever he tries, it doesn’t lead to success in the end.
And so, despite his current contract until 2024, Walter has to fear that if he doesn’t get promoted on Monday evening, he will be allowed to sit on the Hamburger bench for the last time. CEO Jonas Boldt is still behind the coach. According to media reports, however, its future is also very uncertain should HSV not succeed in the football miracle it had hoped for.
So it’s quite possible that from Tuesday morning on the Sylvesterallee, not only will work be done on the stadium and the training ground, but that the management floor will also become a construction site…
Possible lineups:
Hamburger SV: Heuer Fernandes – Heyer, David, Schonlau, Muheim – Kittel, Meffert, Reis – Jatta, Glatzel, Dompe
VfB Stuttgart: Müller – Mavropanos, Anton, Ito – Vagnoman, Karazor, Endo, Sosa – Silas, Führich – Guirassy
