The disappointment about not being promoted to HSV is gone. The preparations are going well so far, the reinforcements fit, the Bundesliga promotion dreams are ripening. For the fifth time. But in the background a tsunami is building up.
Schalke gone, Werder gone - so who should stop Hamburger SV on their way back to the Bundesliga? Everything is clear on paper before the start of the 2nd Bundesliga at the weekend. After four years in the lower house, the permanent promotion candidate has good prospects this time. Also: Fourth three times, most recently third - the Hamburg trend encourages fans hungry for success.
If only everything were that simple, says trainer Tim Walter and finds a prominent advocate. "Keep the ball flat. It's a bit different against Braunschweig," HSV cult fan "Helm-Peter" predicts the pros a tough start on Sunday. "We'll see this aria again: Ten men in the back and the good Lord Braunschweig will help in the front."
The 76-year-old also encourages the pros on his Facebook and YouTube channels. "It looked like football," he praised the team after the 5-1 win in the last friendly against Swiss runners-up FC Basel and proudly presented his brand new T-shirt with the imprint: "Back to the 1st League."
Walter's second year at HSV - for the first time in his coaching career he has succeeded at a professional club - should bring the completion of offensive and aggressive ball possession football. "For the first time in a long time we can go into a second season where we know what we're doing because we know the idea," says captain Sebastian Schonlau. A year ago, the central defender groaned because it took him two weeks to distinguish between back and front in the new Walter system. This time the shortest preseason since 2005 was enough for a new level. "The boys have further refined the game idea," praises Walter.
Remarkable at HSV: new season, old coach. Markus Gisdol last managed more than a year of service - from September 2016 to January 2018. After that, short-time work was announced for Hollerbach, Titz, Wolf, Hecking, Thioune, Hrubesch - and always new ideas.
Unlike last time, the club is dealing with its ambitions this time. "Of course we accept the challenge of promotion," says sporting director Jonas Boldt and admits: "We want to get out of this league!" Through the previous season, those responsible had hung themselves with verbal acrobatics. "Development of the team" was the name of the matter. "It would no longer be credible if we were to backtrack now after failing so narrowly in the previous season," says Schonlau.
A clear edge in the announcement will probably not be enough. "The best 2nd division of all time", as the previous season was courted, was reduced to normal after the departure of Schalke and Werder. It can still be exciting like last season. The teams FC St. Pauli, 1. FC Nuremberg, Hannover 96, Darmstadt 98, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Greuther Fürth, Arminia Bielefeld, 1. FC Heidenheim and SC Paderborn are also good for promotion.
Next advantage HSV: The core of the squad has stayed together. The departure of the talents Josha Vagnoman (VfB Stuttgart) and Faride Alidou (Eintracht Frankfurt) hurts. The club is expecting a lot from newcomers like Laszlo Benes, the most expensive second division transfer to date at EUR 1.5 million, Ransford Königsdörfer (1.2) and Filip Bilbija (free transfer).
It is unclear, however, how the hitting and stabbing affects the management floor. Since one can not with the other. Sports director Boldt has demoted sports director Michael Mutzel. He is still allowed to make transfers, but he is no longer allowed to talk to the team or the public. "If I do that in public, then that's a fatal sign for the communication culture within a club," complained the former St. Pauli coach Ewald Lienen Boldt's management style.
Boldt and his fellow board member responsible for finance, Thomas Wüstefeld, are also not green. What he wants, he rejects. The supervisory board said a restrained Basta: pull yourself together and carry on! Spicy: Boldt is Walter's confidant. The coaching contract (until June 30, 2023) has not yet been extended. If Boldt goes, does Walter go too?
