New role: Polzin explains Capaldo move! | OneFootball

Nicolás Capaldo was planned to be in the midfield center when he transferred to HSV. However, in the home game against Mainz, he played in central defense and made a stable impression.

In recent days, HSV observers have been primarily asking the question: Who will replace Fábio Vieira and Warmed Omari? While the decision for Albert Sambi Lokonga was quite obvious in Vieira's case, coach Merlin Polzin surprised with the solution in central defense. He decided neither for Guilherme Ramos, who stepped in for the injured Omari in the away game at Union Berlin, nor for Jordan Torunarigha. The latter was even completely missing from the squad, even though he had trained with the team all week after missing out due to Achilles tendon problems.

Instead, the nod went to Nicolás Capaldo, a mere 1.77 meters tall trained central midfielder. "We know about his defensive qualities. He has often played in the right-back position in the past. But that doesn't make much difference to how we want to shape it," Polzin explained at the press conference.

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Capaldo impresses with flexibility

Indeed, Capaldo often played as a right-back during his time at RB Salzburg, even in Champions League matches. Alongside defensive leader Luka Vuskovic and right rail player Giorgi Gocholeishvilli, he was able to bring his strengths in duels, combined with a certain understanding of the game and decent technique, contributing to the resounding 4:0 victory.

"Definitely a good performance from him, which helped us all," praised Polzin. Capaldo spoke of a "great team performance" after the game. He agreed with his new task: "I am a player who is always open to playing in any position. If the team needs me in a different position today, then I am there to help. It was my first game in this role, but it worked well." Since Omari will no longer be available to HSV in 2025, there is a chance for the Argentine to establish himself in the back three in the long term.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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