“Was the cherry on the cake”: Polzin hits back at HSV criticism | OneFootball

Three defeats at the start of the season, two of them 0–5: Even so, HSV fans sent their team off after the thrashings against Mainz and Leipzig with chants and applause.

This quite surprising reaction then sparked at times lively debate both in the media and among the fanbase. Was this unconditional support really the right signal to send to a team that had been swept aside twice in a row beforehand?

For Merlin Polzin, the answer is clear. The HSV coach followed the debate closely after the defeat in Leipzig and was even surprised by some of the concerns. “We are open to justified, factual criticism,” Polzin said after the 2–1 win over 1. FC Köln. However, there had also been voices “that irritated us,” because with promotion and staying up, HSV had “set something in motion over the past almost two years that is far more stable than three defeats against two Champions League participants.”

One aspect in particular bothered Polzin. “What really surprised me was that criticism came up over the fans supporting us,” the 35-year-old explained. Then he doubled down: “I think that was the cherry on top.”

Photo: IMAGO

HSV want to “stand together in good times and in bad”

From the coach’s point of view, the support from the north stand was actually a decisive factor in HSV turning things around against Köln. The terrace had already been “fully there” during the warm-up, and then the entire Volkspark gradually got behind the team. “At that point, this stadium is simply there for the team. Then a kind of magic happens,” said Polzin.

Daniel Heuer Fernandes also saw a direct link between the reaction in Leipzig and the first win of the season. “When you get applause and relentless support there after the second 0–5, that’s where it began—that we were able to deliver today’s performance,” the goalkeeper explained.

Not only for that reason, Polzin identified the unity between the team, the sporting leadership and the fans as a decisive factor. “We want to stand together in good times and in bad,” he said emphatically. That, he added, is exactly what the past few weeks—including the relieving win over Köln—have shown.

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