“Catalyst” v Köln: can HSV turn a weakness into a strength? | OneFootball

After a brief high point under coach Steffen Baumgart, corners had recently become more of an annoyance than a real weapon for HSV.

In the past Bundesliga season, Hamburg managed just one goal from a corner. Luka Vuskovic headed home in the 1-2 defeat against SC Freiburg after a delivery from Miro Muheim. That was all, despite a total of 124 corners. No other team in the league was as harmless in this area.

All the greater, then, was the relief when of all things the first goal of the 2026/27 season came from a set piece. Albert Grønbaek whipped the corner sharply into the box, and Nicolas Capaldo headed in the important 1-0 against Cologne. “I’m glad that we got the breakthrough for 1-0 from a corner,” said Daniel Heuer Fernandes after the 2-1 win. “Let’s not kid ourselves: in the phase we’re in right now, where you have to seize every moment for yourself, we managed to become dangerous from a set piece and take the lead.”

HSV adds extra set-piece sessions

The fact that the goal was no fluke is clear from a look at the work of recent months. In the summer, the coaching staff identified set pieces as a clear problem area. “It was part of the analysis of which areas we need to improve,” explained Merlin Polzin, who, incidentally, was himself responsible for dead-ball situations as assistant coach. Set pieces could be “very important” and could even bring a team into the game “even if you didn’t have the dominance beforehand.”

Photo: IMAGO

The consequence: According to a report by Bild, HSV is now investing significantly more time in corners and free kicks. Additional sessions are scheduled several times a week. Assistant coach Richard Krohn works with video analyst Eduard Riesen to develop new routines and specifically look for opponents’ weaknesses.

How important such a detail-obsessed approach is can be seen by looking at the best in the business. The pioneer is Arsenal FC, whose set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has achieved outstanding success in recent years and played a key role in the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years. HSV is naturally still a long way from that. Even so, Capaldo’s goal against Cologne could be an initial sign that an old weakness may yet become a real strength.

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