“A totally shite afternoon”: how do HSV cope with the Mainz fiasco? | OneFootball

HSV had surely imagined their home opener in the new Bundesliga season very differently. After the 0–5 defeat against Mainz, a sense of crisis has suddenly taken hold at the Volkspark.

While the end of the transfer window had still been accompanied by a spirit of optimism and great anticipation, a sobering reality has now set in for the time being. Even Merlin Polzin was initially at a loss for words after the final whistle when it came to his team’s performance. As the HSV coach tried to put the result into proper perspective at the press conference, the club’s entire leadership was also present. One look at their faces made it clear: the defeat had hit hard.

“A maximally shitty afternoon for us,” was how Polzin bluntly called it. Far worse than the defeat itself and its margin, however, was the way his team performed over the full 90 minutes, in the coach’s view. HSV showed no ideas whatsoever throughout the match, made numerous mistakes in build-up play, and looked alarmingly shaky at the back.

Photo: IMAGO

Polzin hopes for “realism” around HSV

“That way, no opponent in the Bundesliga will have any problems against us,” was perhaps Polzin’s clearest warning. The coach therefore did not want to explain away the defeat by pointing to the lack of chemistry among the many new signings. It does take “time to further strengthen the connections and settle into the routines,” he said. At the same time, however, HSV first need to bring the basics onto the pitch.

That is exactly the big task for the coming weeks. After two defeats, a 0:7 goal difference, and bottom place in the table, the initial optimism has vanished for now — especially since the upcoming away trip to RB Leipzig hardly suggests guaranteed points. Polzin therefore also sees the thrashing as a possible wake-up call: “Maybe it also brings a bit of realism.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.