Multicultural squad and 11 new faces: How HSV aim to build team spirit! | OneFootball

Just a few months after their promotion to the Bundesliga, the face of HSV has radically changed. Numerous summer newcomers need to be integrated.

Hamburger SV faces a special challenge after a turbulent transfer summer: a functioning and above all, athletically powerful unit must emerge from eleven new arrivals from ten different countries. For the first time, coach Merlin Polzin was able to work with his complete squad this week. After many last-minute newcomers and the subsequent international break, this is a novelty!

Most recently, the Hamburg team was strengthened by three potential difference-makers: Luka Vuskovic, Fabio Vieira, and Albert Sambi Lokonga joined the team from England. That it will take time for this motley crew to become a well-rehearsed team was once again made clear by sports director Stefan Kuntz. "The issue of patience will continue to be at the top," the 62-year-old explained in a Mopo interview.

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HSV Coach on Team Spirit: "We've Made a Big Step"

To accelerate this process, HSV consciously focuses on integration. As the Bild reports, language becomes a key factor. English and German serve as a common platform. In addition, there are courses for players who need to catch up. English is intended to function as the locker room language, while at the same time promoting learning German. The idea: the better the communication, the deeper the football discussions about running paths, passing paths, or tactical subtleties.

Off the pitch, too, there is a targeted effort to strengthen team spirit. Joint activities such as go-karting are intended to strengthen the team feeling. At the same time, the Leadership Group – consisting of captain Yussuf Poulsen, his deputies Jonas Meffert and Nicolas Capaldo, as well as other leading players – ensures clear structures within the team.

Coach Polzin is optimistic. "We are in the process of finding the right combinations step by step from the many, many individual players who have newly joined or stayed, who harmonizes how well. We made a big step this week," the Bild quotes the 34-year-old.

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