HSV with a new target this season? Why Polzin says no | OneFootball

The euphoria surrounding HSV is huge. Shortly before the transfer deadline, Hamburg unveiled three prominent new signings in Fabio Vieira, Zakaria El Ouahdi, and David Möller Wolfe.

Accordingly, many fans are looking ahead to the new season with optimism. The view among many supporters: this squad is too strong to be fighting “only” against relegation. But that is exactly the kind of expectation Merlin Polzin is explicitly warning against. At the press conference ahead of the home game against 1. FSV Mainz 05 (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.), the HSV coach put the brakes on the euphoria.

“We are humble and know that we still have to work hard to get to where some people may already see us,” explained the 35-year-old. He added: “We’re still quite a long way from that. I think everyone here should show that same realism.”

So Polzin does not want to be pinned down on new season targets or even higher regions of the table. Instead, the focus remains unchanged on avoiding relegation. Last season’s overall comfortable survival in the league is to be repeated at all costs. HSV want to pick up their first points on that road against Mainz.

Photo: IMAGO

HSV have “high standards” for themselves

That the recent transfers have increased the squad’s quality is also beyond doubt for Polzin. Returnee Fabio Vieira in particular made a strong impression in the first training sessions. The Portuguese player had “already shown this week what he is capable of,” said the coach. At the same time, he wants to “let the boys settle in first.”

In general, Polzin still believes HSV are on the path that has made the club successful in recent months. “We have made a lot of good decisions in the recent past because we have acted in a very down-to-earth way,” he emphasized. What mattered less, he said, was “the fuss being made from the outside.”

Despite all the restraint, however, there is no lack of ambition. “Of course,” the team has “high standards for ourselves,” Polzin said. However, that is not expressed through bold declarations about their own targets for the season.

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