HSV in crisis: of all people, two leaders are off form | OneFootball

They were actually supposed to be HSV’s main pillars. Nicolai Remberg was named the new captain on August 1, with Nicolas Capaldo and Sambi Lokonga appointed as his deputies.

But after three matchdays, little has been seen of the trio’s leadership qualities. Remberg and Capaldo in particular are currently causing major concern. Both were among HSV’s absolute key players in their very first season at the club and played a decisive role in securing survival comfortably through their performances and mentality. Now, after three matches, HSV are bottom of the table with zero points and a goal difference of 0:12. The two leaders are also looking well short of their best form.

Remberg made a costly misplaced pass in the 5-0 defeat against Mainz that led to the opening goal. The 26-year-old also fell short of expectations in Leipzig. His stats may look solid on paper, but at the moment he is barely managing to provide the necessary stability in central areas.

Photo: IMAGO

This was already evident before the two 5-0 defeats. In the Bundesliga opener against Borussia Dortmund, especially in the first half, there were huge gaps between the different units of the team, which allowed BVB to combine effortlessly time and again. Against Mainz and Leipzig, things only got worse afterward. On top of that came some partly inexplicable lapses from individual players. Sporting director Claus Costa aptly summed up the problems after the defeat in Leipzig: “These are individual mistakes, but also group tactical issues.”

HSV: Capaldo is in a slump

Capaldo is also part of this problem. In the 1-0 defeat in Leipzig, the Argentine was caught out by a run behind him for the opening goal, and for the 3-0 he was one of several Hamburg players who lost sight of Orban during a free-kick routine. Before the 4-0, he also misjudged a long ball. So far, Capaldo has not been able to bring the intensity that is so typical of him onto the pitch.

Coach Merlin Polzin is still defending his vice-captain. “I’m not going to let anything be said against my boys, and I’ll stand up for them,” Bild quotes the 35-year-old as saying. Capaldo will, against 1. FC Köln, “once again contribute to us showing a better face at home.”

HSV will have to do just that. Otherwise, the upcoming international break could become really uncomfortable.

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