Back in their comfort zone: Polzin on HSV’s chances against Frankfurt | OneFootball

By Tuesday at the latest, HSV had put the 1:4 defeat against Hoffenheim behind them. Even though the atmosphere in the stands sometimes conveyed a different feeling, the promoted team was clearly outclassed.

"Because 15,000 of our fans are there, it feels like we're on equal footing, but we're still far from it," Merlin Polzin soberly stated after the first session of the current training week.

The coach spoke openly about the limitations of his team. "We played against Hoffenheim, who ran us into the ground," Polzin explained in retrospect, pointing out that TSG is the strongest running team in the league. "They do that with other teams as well."

Accordingly, the coach was disappointed with his players' performance but tried to provide an objective assessment. "On such days, everything has to go right for us and little for the opponents for us to be competitive in these games. The guys know that," he explained, recalling the home games against Dortmund (1:1) and Stuttgart (2:1), where exactly that was achieved.

Nur die Raute – All the news about HSV

HSV Enjoys "Upsetting" the Favorites

Despite the renewed away defeat, Polzin believes HSV is on the right track. "I'm always concerned with development, without comparing ourselves to other clubs. And our development is clearly recognizable," he emphasized. The 15 points from 14 games are evidence that HSV has become more stable since the squad was significantly strengthened on Deadline Day. "Setbacks are part of it," Polzin said. And Hoffenheim took advantage of that "ruthlessly."

The hope for a return to the Volksparkstadion is now even greater. "Luckily, we have a home game again," Polzin said with a smile. But despite the strong record in front of their own fans, they find themselves in the underdog role against Eintracht Frankfurt.

"Eintracht is playing in the Champions League, and we were promoted with one point ahead of Elversberg. The roles are clearly defined," Polzin warned, while adding: "But it's also fun to upset them." HSV has already succeeded in doing so several times this season at the Volkspark.

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