First reunion: How Baumgart’s spell at HSV unfolded | OneFootball

Steffen Baumgart has a special connection to HSV. However, his athletic commitment was not particularly successful. He now works for Union Berlin, Hamburg's next opponent.

Steffen Baumgart took over at the beginning of the current calendar year. At that time, his contract with Hamburger SV was still running. This fact alone shows that quite a bit went wrong during his tenure in the Hanseatic city. "I am very happy to be here and looking forward to the big challenge. It starts immediately, and I will work directly with the guys. The goal is clear, we don't need to beat around the bush: promotion," emphasized the now 53-year-old at his presentation on 20.02.2024.

Baumgart took over from Tim Walter, who ultimately fell victim to his special focus on dominance and the resulting lack of defensive security, which led to two 3:4 home defeats. The new coach didn't hesitate long and immediately tried to implement his own ideas based on intense pressing. After a quite promising opening game (1:0 against Elversberg), hopes were high to achieve a return to the Bundesliga.

Baumgart and HSV don't come together

However, most performances throughout the rest of the season were not very convincing. HSV suffered total failures like in Düsseldorf (0:2), Paderborn (0:1), or at home against Osnabrück (1:2). They also lost the crucial home game against the eventual promoted team Kiel 0:1. Although at least the disaster of a St. Pauli promotion celebration at the Volksparkstadion was prevented, in the end, 20 points from twelve Baumgart games were only enough for fourth place behind the city rival, Kiel, and Düsseldorf.

Even in the early phase of his engagement with his favorite club, the coach, who had previously worked successfully in Paderborn and Cologne, did not fully manage to win over the team, which was very attached to his predecessor Walter. Nevertheless, the newly appointed sports director Stefan Kuntz expressed his confidence for the following season: "I spoke with Steffen last night and this morning. He hasn't yet completed a preparation here, hasn't been able to implement any transfer ideas. That's why I don't think it's HSV-like to question the coach now. Therefore, we will continue with him."

(Photo by Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images)

Baumgart received eight new signings, including his desired player Davie Selke. He changed the playing system from 4-3-3 to a three-/five-man defense, in which he found it difficult to find a place for Jean-Luc Dompé and used Miro Muheim as a central defender. The season start was quite promising despite the defensive style, which the team probably didn't appreciate much. HSV lost only one of nine matches, winning for example in Cologne (2:1) and impressing in top matches against Düsseldorf (3:0) and Magdeburg (3:1).

The targeted average of two points per game was achieved at this point. Observers believed HSV was on the right track. But then things went downhill sharply. After poor performances, they suffered defeats in Elversberg (2:4) and Braunschweig (1:3). When a 2:0 lead against a weak Schalke was squandered, the Hanseatic team fell to eighth place in the table. The fourth winless game in a row brought consequences. Baumgart had to vacate his post after only 279 days.

Reunion on Sunday evening

"I would like to thank Stefan Kuntz and also Jonas Boldt for the opportunity to work at my childhood favorite club. It was an exciting and very intense time. I remain connected to the club and wish HSV to achieve their goals," said Baumgart in his farewell statement. Under successor Merlin Polzin, who had previously been active as an assistant in the club for over four years, Hamburg actually achieved the long-awaited promotion.

Therefore, this Sunday (7:30 PM, DAZN) there will be a direct duel, which Polzin is very much looking forward to. "Steffen supported me to the maximum during this time, which is why I am very grateful for our joint collaboration," said the current HSV coach during the week. However, Baumgart will not be standing next to him on the sidelines. He saw a red card in the 4:3 victory in Frankfurt and was suspended for one game.

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Assistant coach Sebastian Bönig will act as a representative, who said at the press conference regarding his superior: "Of course, it's a shame for him too, because it's against his former team, his former club. The fact that he personally can't be there disappoints him the most. Therefore, we will try to achieve the best possible result for him as well."

Union Berlin is currently two points ahead of HSV and goes into the match as the favorite. With a win, they could already create a cushion to the bottom of the table early on. The extremely ambitious Baumgart will follow the events from a distance and hope to achieve the third victory of the season despite the continued connection to his former employer.

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