Tactic revealed: How Polzin keeps HSV players motivated! | OneFootball

For almost exactly a year, Merlin Polzin has been working as head coach of HSV. Now he has revealed how he intends to not only advance his players, but also himself.

Just one point from five games, 14th place in the table: the promotion euphoria at Hamburger SV has slowly but surely faded in the late autumn of 2025, while the pressure continues to grow. But while the team is searching for its form, coach Merlin Polzin revealed in Sport Bild a measure that shows just how consistently he is working to take his professionals along both mentally and in terms of content: He records his own speeches.

What may seem unusual at first is actually part of a clear plan. Polzin knows that words can have a tremendous impact during a difficult sporting phase. “Due to the daily routine, there could be signs of wear and tear in the speeches,” explains the 35-year-old. To prevent his messages from fading, he records parts of his team talks and analyzes them afterwards. This also involves a great deal of self-criticism.

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Polzin makes it clear: “If something like that should catch our attention as a coaching team”

His goal: to recognize routines, avoid filler words, and not lose the team with worn-out phrases. Polzin has also consciously set a time limit: no speech may last longer than 15 minutes. Only the video analyses of the opponents are exempt from this. “Before the team notices something like that, it should catch our attention as a coaching team,” he says, clearly making an effort not to bore his players.

Polzin wants to turn every possible screw to secure survival in the league and re-establish HSV in the Bundesliga. This obviously also includes allowing criticism of himself and always striving for personal development.

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