“Far too easy, far too cheap”: HSV at a loss after Mainz drubbing | OneFootball

The disappointment at the Volkspark was enormous. After the heavy 0–5 home defeat against 1. FSV Mainz 05, everyone connected to HSV was asking: How could such a disastrous performance happen?

Even in the opening minutes, Hamburg had hardly any answer to the visitors’ aggressive pressing. Time and again, Merlin Polzin’s team gave the ball away cheaply and looked overwhelmed both on and off the ball. In the end, the result was five goals conceded, none scored, and 18th place in the table after two matchdays.

Captain Nicolai Remberg was correspondingly self-critical after the final whistle. “The five goals we conceded were far too easy, far too cheap,” the midfielder made clear. Particularly bitter: it was the captain himself who initiated Mainz’s first goal with a costly misplaced pass. Remberg took full responsibility for it. “The first goal is on me. There’s no point trying to talk my way around it, and I don’t want to either.”

HSV’s 0–5 defeat “a blow, but not a broken leg”

The defeat was especially painful because HSV had been much more successful against the same opponent last season. “We smashed them 4–0 last year, and today we concede five — that’s tough,” said Remberg, summing up the sense of bewilderment around the Volkspark.

Photo: IMAGO

Despite the false start with zero points and a goal difference of 0–7, the 26-year-old does not want panic to set in. He recalled that last season, too, things initially needed time to click. “Last season looked similar at the beginning, and we only got a few guys in late. We’ll settle in, find our rhythm, and then we’ll be there,” the captain made clear.

In fact, HSV endured a similar poor start twelve months ago and were considered by many experts to be the number-one relegation candidate. Even so, the team recovered and ultimately stayed up comfortably in 13th place. What is also clear, however, is that after the performance against Mainz, the doubts are greater than the optimism for now. Still, Remberg is looking ahead in fighting spirit. His verdict: “A 0–5 is a blow, but not a broken leg. No matter what comes crashing down on us now, we’ll get through it.”

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