Still no goals: toothless HSV battling goal drought! | OneFootball

HSV suffered a heavy defeat at FC Bayern Munich. In addition to the particularly passive defensive behavior in the first half, the lack of attacking threat was once again glaringly obvious.

At the Allianz Arena, Hamburger SV were on the losing side right from the start. A very well-prepared German record champion dismantled the promoted side and was already leading 4-0 after just 29 minutes. Afterwards, Bayern took their foot off the gas and only added a fifth goal through Harry Kane. The visitors thus got off relatively lightly and can already turn their attention to the crucial upcoming home match against still-pointless 1. FC Heidenheim.

However, not only a focused defensive performance—recognized by both coach Merlin Polzin and parts of the team in the second half—will be required there. HSV will especially need to improve offensively. They are still waiting for their first goal since returning to the Bundesliga. The most dangerous attempts on goal last Saturday evening came from wing-back William Mikelbrencis. Substitute Robert Glatzel also headed the ball onto the top of the net in the closing stages.

First HSV goal after the return of Poulsen and Dompé?

Overall, HSV remained harmless. The same conclusion can be drawn from the previous encounters with Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC St. Pauli. Each of those matches saw an offside goal for HSV. Otherwise, opposing defenses were rarely troubled. Due to injuries, key players such as Jean-Luc Dompé and Yussuf Poulsen, who were expected to be pillars of the team, have so far played only a minor role. Their co-production nearly brought the Hanseatics three points on the first matchday, but Mikelbrencis, who finished from close range, was offside.

In Munich, both Dompé and Poulsen were absent from the squad due to injury. However, creative player Fabio Vieira made his debut. His skills will be much more in demand against Heidenheim, as HSV could achieve a significantly higher share of possession than in many other matches. Whether Vieira can set up striker Poulsen remains to be seen in the coming days. Last week, the Dane once again trained exclusively on his own.

Nur die Raute – All the news about HSV

The chances of Dompé featuring are likely better. Even before the Bayern match, coach Polzin hinted that his protégé was on a good path, but he did not want to take any unnecessary risks regarding the ankle injury. An attacking trio of Dompé, Poulsen—who would replace the out-of-form Ransford Königsdörffer—and Vieira would likely pose much more of a threat, also due to the individual quality that is necessary, given HSV’s generally defensive approach, to regularly threaten the opposition’s goal.

Everyone involved will be aware that the goal drought must come to an end against Heidenheim. Long-time Hamburg fans had to be even more patient in the 2014/15 season. It took until the sixth matchday before Nicolai Müller ended the 508-minute run of failure.

(Photo Lars Baron / Getty Images)

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