Kuntz puts HSV players on notice: "We need to start picking up points" | OneFootball

After ten Bundesliga matchdays, HSV sits in thirteenth place with nine points. Is the team meeting expectations?

At the opening of the new “Athleticum am Volkspark,” HSV sporting director Stefan Kuntz allowed himself a few light-hearted jokes on Thursday. However, when it came to his sporting analysis, he struck a more serious tone. While he praised the club’s and UKE’s new performance center, Kuntz made it clear that his focus was on the current season and what, in his opinion, absolutely needs to follow now.

After ten matchdays, HSV is in 13th place with nine points. That’s solid for a promoted team, but from the 63-year-old’s perspective, it’s by no means a reason to bask in compliments. “We’ve often been praised for a really great game and ended up with no points,” Kuntz was quoted as saying by Bild on the sidelines of the event. What matters is something else: “I like the performance that ultimately leads to three points.”

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Does HSV have too few points? Here’s what Kuntz says!

Kuntz did not reject recognition for attractive performances, but made it clear that praise alone cannot be the goal. “You like to hear compliments for a while. But – only for a while. After that, points need to follow.” With this, he unambiguously puts the professionals on notice: The at times quite appealing football must more often be reflected in the corresponding results.

At the same time, Kuntz looks positively at the team’s development and does not want to talk down the season so far. When asked whether HSV had collected too few points given their performances, he replied: “It’s a bit too early for that.” Rather, the performance so far is encouraging, which he attributes to the quality of the new signings, the clear tactical signature, and a functioning team dynamic.

Great praise also went to coach Merlin Polzin and his team, whose work Kuntz explicitly appreciated. Trust, energy, and clarity are all there across the board. Now, only the right results need to follow consistently.

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