Baumgart: "We have to deliver an improved performance"

Hamburger SV prepare to host SV Wehen Wiesbaden on matchday 26 in the 2. Bundesliga .The Volksparkstadion is once again sold out, with 54,000 spectators expected to fill the stands on Sunday afternoon (13:30 CET). After suffering two disappointing defeats recently, the Rothosen are looking for a turnaround in their form this weekend. "We have to deliver an improved performance that lets everyone know that we want to win with all our might," Baumgart said during today's pre-match press conference. Hear from the head coach on…

...the squad: Jean-Luc Dompe, Ignace Van der Brempt, Stephan Ambrosius and Noah Katterbach are all unavailable. We hope that a few players will be able to return during the international break. Miro Muheim returned to team training for the first time today. Due to our current injury situation, he could be an option to make the matchday squad or even the starting XI. 

...lessons learned from the Düsseldorf game: We have to deliver an improved performance, one that lets everyone know that we want to win with all our might. It's about creating plenty of chances, but also about other aspects of the game like winning tackles and playing with intensity. I heard the whistles from the fans in Düsseldorf, but at the same time, I also heard a group of fans that were pushing us on right until the end. That's how it should be: you support your team until the end, and then you're still have the right to voice your disagreement if you're not satisfied with what's happened. We're the ones that have to make sure that there's no need to that to happen. We have set ourselves a clear goal and that's what we're working towards right now. It's understandable that there's a bit of a pushback from outside, if your performances just aren't good enough. 

“By now, the lads know what I'm like as a coach and what my approach is."

...improvements in HSV's game: Football is an easy game. I think that right now, we're the ones that are making it more complicated than it needs to be. As a coach, it's about highlighting the positives, working on them and also giving feedback on where we can improve. By now, the lads know what I'm like as a coach and what my approach is. I address things head on, but that doesn't mean that it should be taken as criticism. The lads are further along than they were before, but that doesn't change anything about our recent performances, which simply weren't enough. We enjoyed a lot of possession, but weren't able to do anything with it in order to win the game. We needed to address that, which we have done. We want to do better and beat Wiesbaden. 

...the opponent: We're expecting our opponents to sit back and defend well. They have an exceptional goalkeeper, who is good at shutting down clear-cut chances. He's undergone a tremendous development and is a solid presence at the back. Wiesbaden are also very well-organised at the back and have a lot of height in their backline. We will need to take the chances that they give us. We can't afford to be hesitant in attack. Another thing that Wiesbaden do well is counter-attack. We will need to find solutions on how to neutralise that threat and be quick on our feet. That's what we've been working on this past week.