With attack football and hits to promotion?

Hamburger SV has found a new coach in Steffen Baumgart. t-online.de introduces the 52-year-old.

Steffen Baumgart is the new coach of Hamburger SV. The Rostock native is supposed to lead his favorite club back into the Bundesliga. The Rothosen have failed to gain promotion for five years in a row. Now the 52-year-old wants to show that the Hanseatic League belongs back in the upper house of football.

At 1. FC Köln, Steffen Baumgart has already shown that he can deal with a difficult club environment and get the people in and around the club behind him. What awaits Hamburger SV with its new coach?

Steffen Baumgart is an open advocate of attack football. The coach would rather win a game 4:3 than 1:0. Accordingly, the East German lets his teams get to work offensively. Tactically, Baumgart relies almost exclusively on a back four and – if his squad allows it – on a six and two strikers.

The opponents should be attacked early and usually in their own third. For Baumgart’s intensive pressing football, his teams have to be in top shape, which promises sweaty sessions for the players, especially during the preparations. Under Baumgart, 1. FC Köln was regularly one of the strongest and therefore fittest teams in the Bundesliga.

Steffen Baumgart is unmistakable on the sidelines. Even in freezing temperatures, the coach stands on the sidelines in a T-shirt. According to his own statement, this has nothing to do with a lack of sensation of cold. In fact, Baumgart otherwise feels restricted in his freedom of movement. The football coach shouldn’t get cold anyway: Baumgart fully exploits his coaching zone and paces up and down the sidelines emotionally and mostly loudly for his team.

During his time at SC Paderborn, Baumgart always had a coffee stick between his teeth. The trainer got rid of this habit in Cologne, but quickly attracted attention with his flat cap, which quickly achieved cult status in the cathedral city. He is also supported by HSV assistant coach René Wagner, who has accompanied him since Paderborn. The 35-year-old is considered the tactical fox in Baumgart’s team.

Steffen Baumgart is an opinionated and emotional trainer who has something to say on all topics and doesn’t mince his words. The Berliner by choice has a problem especially with football experts and doesn’t shy away from confrontation. In addition, Baumgart also bluntly addresses grievances within his own club publicly, which is not always well received by everyone in charge.

In the Cologne environment, Baumgart is particularly offended by his squad orientation. Because of his emotional speeches, the coach at 1. FC Cologne also relied predominantly on German-speaking players when planning the squad. In addition, his opinion on young players, who, according to him, would need at least two years to get used to men’s football, was not always well received.

In his private life, Baumgart, who often looks grim in photos, is a real family man. The 52-year-old recently celebrated his silver wedding anniversary with his wife Katja. The couple has three children Emilia, Fiona and Nick. The family also includes the two Eurasians Iley and Jory, with whom Baumgart likes to go on long walks in his free time to switch off from football.

On his training clothes, Baumgart wears the number 72 instead of his initials. This represents his year of birth. The trainer grew up in the GDR and was an employee of the German People’s Police before reunification. Baumgart also completed training as a vehicle mechanic.

Baumgart now has his main residence in Berlin-Köpenick, not far from the Alte Försterei, the stadium of 1. FC Union Berlin. Baumgart maintains a very special relationship with the people of the capital and is even an honorary member of Union. His wife Katja even used to run a Berlin fan shop.

Baumgart is also a big music fan and particularly enjoys German hits such as Helene Fischer and Ina Müller. Herbert Grönemeyer is also one of the coach’s great idols. Hamburger SV will have to prepare for this. Especially during the preparations, Baumgart likes to have his players do intensive runs around the entire pitch to loud pop music.