Polzin lays it out before the new season: ‘HSV must overperform’ | OneFootball

HSV are heading into their second Bundesliga season after promotion with plenty of self-confidence, but also with a clear sense of humility.

Coach Merlin Polzin made it clear at the Volksparkfestival on Saturday that staying up last year is by no means a guarantee of a carefree future for his team. Speaking openly in front of more than 10,000 fans, the 35-year-old addressed the challenges awaiting HSV in the coming months. In doing so, Polzin (via Bild) delivered a clear message: “Last year, we were the newly promoted team. For many, the Bundesliga was new. Now we are in a different situation.” That is why, in his view, one thing is clear: “We only have a chance if we overperform.”

For HSV, that means one thing above all: the team has to push its limits. “If we step out of our comfort zone in everything we do,” Polzin explained, then the next step in development can be achieved. Looking at the preparations so far, he was pleased: “The boys are on a very good path.”

One key word here is intensity. Goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes has already said that the coaching staff are currently “demanding a lot” from the professionals. Polzin himself revealed that the team had recently been spending two to two and a half hours on the training ground on a regular basis. “The boys are dead tired, absolutely exhausted,” said the HSV coach, adding: “We’re going to see a different team from the one we had last year. It will be a team that is maximally intense.”

Photo: IMAGO

HSV still have room for improvement when it comes to intensity

This is exactly where the Rothosen still had ground to make up last season. After a detailed analysis, the coaching staff found that the phases between their own possession and the opposition’s possession in particular were not played with enough consistency. “We were too slow mentally and, for various reasons, were unable to reach the necessary intensity levels,” Polzin recently explained to HSV.de.

The numbers back this up. With 3,898.6 kilometers covered, HSV were the team that ran the least in the Bundesliga. The Hanseatic side also finished bottom when it came to high-intensity runs.

That makes the ambition to keep developing all the greater. Even so, Polzin warned against excessive expectations. “It will again be a campaign that demands everything from us,” the coach stressed. Good and bad spells are unavoidable. Success, he said, can only come “if we do it together. All together in one direction.” Despite the narrow defeat, the recent friendly against Everton (1–2) was a good first step on that path.

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