Battle for pride: HSV's plan for the run-in! | OneFootball

Survival is secured, and with it the really big pressure is gone. But at HSV, no one wants to switch into cruise-control mode in the final stretch of the season.

Even though there is no longer much at stake in sporting terms, coach Merlin Polzin made a clear statement ahead of the remaining two Bundesliga matches.

“We’re not giving anything away,” the HSV coach stressed at the press conference before the final home game of the season against SC Freiburg (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.). The promoted side may already have achieved the big goal of staying up, but that is supposed to release extra energy rather than take away the tension.

Since the 2-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend and with their rivals failing to get the results they needed, HSV are now officially safe from relegation. Because FC St. Pauli lost 2-1 to Mainz and Wolfsburg only managed a draw at SC Freiburg, the Hamburg side were ultimately able to celebrate survival on their couch at home. Around 40 members of the coaching team and staff watched the matches together at a barbecue hosted by goalkeeping coach Sven Höh.

Photo: Getty Images

HSV are eager to “put on a great game”

Polzin does not believe, however, that his team will now slip into “nothing-left-to-play-for mode.” On the contrary: while “the pressure” has eased, the 35-year-old said, “it actually makes you even more eager to put on a great game.”

Nur die Raute – All the news about HSV

That is why the coach is continuing to demand intensity. “We have the highest standards, and when we wear this shirt, we want to deliver a good performance,” Polzin explained. So the fans should get to see passionate football once again in the season finale.

Polzin did not hide the fact that the relief after securing survival was immense. After the decisive results came in, “the music got a little louder.” There was also “a song or two from the coaching staff about us still belonging in this league.”

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