"Didn’t stick to the plan": HSV slip back into relegation zone | OneFootball

This was not at all what HSV had imagined! In the rescheduled match against Bayer Leverkusen, the Red Shorts deservedly lost 0:1 after a particularly disappointing offensive performance.

The promoted team only became dangerous in front of goal far too late against a dominantly acting Werkself. Substitute youngster Otto Stange tried his luck after a brave solo run (90.+1), before Luka Vuskovic missed a huge chance to make it 1:1 just seconds before the final whistle. From close range, the usually reliable center-back failed to beat the outstanding Bayer keeper Janis Blaswich. Vuskovic also headed the rebound just over the bar (90.+8).

But HSV didn’t manage much more offensively. Accordingly, the subsequent reaction from the team and coach was merciless and, above all, unanimous. “We didn’t get into the positions we wanted and didn’t stick to our plan,” complained stand-in captain Nicolai Remberg on Sky. Goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes also criticized that the team failed to “get into our spaces.”

Photo: Getty Images

HSV praises Bayer’s pressing: “They did a good job”

A look at the numbers supports this analysis. HSV registered just three shots on goal against Leverkusen, two of them in stoppage time. Accuracy was also visibly lacking: only 75 percent of all passes from the Hanseatic side reached a teammate.

However, the lack of offensive threat was not solely down to their own performance. In fact, the runners-up presented themselves in Hamburg as extremely mature, with solid counter-attack protection. “Leverkusen did a good job. They pressed us well and aggressively, and we were a bit too sloppy in possession,” Heuer Fernandes aptly stated.

Nur die Raute – All the latest HSV news

And Merlin Polzin also paid the Werkself a compliment: “We faced a team that’s in the Champions League round of 16 and made life extremely difficult for us. It’s annoying that we lost the game, but certainly not undeserved.”

HSV wants to show a different side already on Saturday (3:30 p.m., Sky). After two defeats in three days, the away match at VfL Wolfsburg takes on absolute key importance. Currently, the lead over the relegation spot is down to just four points.

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