Polzin has a mountain of work
HSV's management deliberately chose to pick the top of the league in terms of friendly opponents for their preseason, which ends next week, and it revealed that the newly formed team isn't yet up to the challenge, even against RCD Mallorca. The 2-0 defeat was their fifth consecutive friendly defeat.
HSV must stretch: Coach Merlin Polzin. picture alliance/dpa
Sebastian Wolff reports from Hamburg's training camp in Mallorca
Merlin Polzin was far from declaring a state of alarm in the catacombs of the Estadi de Son Moix, and yet Hamburg's coach openly admits: "Of course, we hoped we'd already advanced." FC Copenhagen (0-1), Sturm Graz (1-2), Olympique Lyon (0-4), SC Freiburg (1-5), and on Saturday evening, Mallorca, were all a size too big for his team. A 2-14 goal difference makes it bluntly clear that the newly promoted team will have to stretch itself considerably to reach the top of the table when they kick off their campaign in Mönchengladbach in two weeks, or, more literally, to reach the top shelf.
In Mallorca, the team showed no signs of an upward learning curve; instead, the coach sent signals. For example, to Sebastian Schonlau , who languished on the bench for 90 minutes, while the back three, in front of the newly signed Warmed Omari (who made a brief debut), was defended by Guilherme Ramos, a potential sale candidate. The longtime captain has known since the Mallorca trip at the latest that he has no future.
Robert Glatzel also received a signal. Even in the absence of Yussuf Poulsen (who was playing separately due to a strain), the 31-year-old only played in the closing minutes – despite Ransford Königsdörffer's poor pre-season. The center forward also disappointed in the first game after his failed move to OGC Nice, missing a great opportunity from close range. He did all this in front of his Ghanaian national coach, Otto Addo.
But it's not just professionals like Schonlau and Glatzel, who are struggling to keep pace, who are under scrutiny, but also highly regarded newcomers like Rayan Philippe , who was at least overtaken on the right wing by Emir Sahiti, and Jordan Torunarigha . The former Hertha player arrived as the hoped-for immediate help, but has yet to prove his worth. He also made a serious mistake in the final minute on Saturday evening, receiving a straight red card for a rude tackle on the touchline.
Polzin wanted to sharpen the awareness in Mallorca that HSV must play differently in the Bundesliga than during their seven years in the second division. "We have to focus on how we can be successful as HSV in the Bundesliga," he repeated after the 2-0 defeat . The new approach is supposed to be characterized by grip on the ball, but the new 3-4-3 system is currently lacking any creativity – and moments like Miro Muheim 's slapstick own goal are exemplary of how even the simplest moves don't work when the shelves seem too high.
