HSV plan falls flat! Two new signings raise questions | OneFootball

Both wing-backs currently starting for HSV only arrived on Deadline Day. Is that why the idea with Møller Wolfe and El Ouahdi still isn’t working out?

The permanent signing of Fabio Vieira was not the only deal in the final hours of the transfer window to spark excitement among HSV fans and observers. The news that David Møller Wolfe and, above all, Zakaria El Ouahdi would now be turning out for the Rothosen was also met with pleasantly surprised reactions. And that was not solely because El Ouahdi in particular had already impressively demonstrated his ability on the ball over the course of his career.

Rather, it was the idea behind it that was so well received. On the right flank, a more attack-minded player with outstanding technical ability, and on the left, with Møller Wolfe, a more defensive counterpart. The Norwegian was supposed to impress with runs from deep and a composed defensive presence.

Are HSV’s wing-backs the biggest problem?

At least that was the original plan, but so far it has not worked at all. Twelve goals conceded in three matches speak for themselves. Especially after losing possession, Hamburg’s defense looked wide open. The lack of coordination on the flanks emerged as one of the reasons for that. Both sides of the back five pushed up far too high, so that after losing the ball huge gaps opened up and the center-backs were left to deal with the opposition attack on their own.

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Asked about this observation, HSV head coach Merlin Polzin, who appears to be on the verge of signing a contract extension, pointed to the lack of time to settle in. In Leipzig, Nicolas Capaldo and Møller Wolfe on one side, and Shafiq Nandja and Zakaria El Ouahdi on the other, had played together for the first time.

“It takes an enormous amount of conversations, training sessions, analysis and games to develop an understanding of each other,” Polzin said at the press conference ahead of the match against 1. FC Köln (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.). He explained that this was not about sugarcoating anything or constantly talking only about the lack of time. But the fact that this “blind” understanding is not there yet had led to “moments in our game where the structure wasn’t right.”

This is how it is supposed to improve

Polzin also said that it is always different to watch players in scouting before a transfer or see them on video than to experience them afterward in training. He stressed that the focus now is on integrating the strengths of both players into HSV’s style of play.

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According to Polzin, Møller Wolfe’s main quality lies in making intense forward runs from deep, demanding the ball, driving down the line and then becoming dangerous either with his own shot or by setting up a goal. The coaching staff had already been able to see signs of that against Leipzig.

On the other side, El Ouahdi needs “above all a lot of contact with the ball and teammates nearby” in order to make the best possible use of his technical ability. “It’s not defined that one is only allowed to do this and the other only that,” Polzin made clear. The goal, however, is for it to work collectively with the teammates. So that gaps like the ones seen in recent weeks are no longer a recurring feature on matchdays.

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