"We need quality and clarity in every area"

On Sunday (6th October, 13:30 CEST), HSV take on Fortuna in Düsseldorf. The Rothosen currently find themselves chasing Fortuna and want to cut the gap to the hosts, who currently have 17 points, five more than HSV, and sit at the top of the table. Head coach Steffen Baumgart explained what will be necessary do that, which players will be available to call upon at a sold-out Merkur Spiel-Arena and how the team will look to start the game in his press conference on Friday (4th October). The coach spoke about…

… squad news:  Fabio Balde and Lukasz Poreba are definitely out for this game. They were both ill this week and haven’t done any proper training. They won’t be able to make the squad. Sebastian Schonlau wasn’t on the training pitch today, but that was just normal load management. He will be back tomorrow. I hope that nothing happens overnight to change that. Baka is back doing really well again and because of that also an option for the squad.

Heuer Fernandes has done really well in training and hasn’t shown any reaction that suggest that he won’t be able to play. He could also start in goal. We left him out deliberately last week to give him a few days. We will wait and see once again tomorrow if he is able to get into more one-on-one situations. If he gives us a clear signal then he will be in goal.

… Matheo Raab: He’s got too much stick in my opinion. He didn’t kick a ball. I’ve seen that from Heuer Fernandes a few times as well, but it didn’t end up going in. That’s tfhe difference. It happens when you’ve got a goalkeeper who plays out from the back. What’s much more important for me is the way he came back after that. He kept calm and that’s what it’s all about, and that is what makes a good goalkeeper stand out. From my perspective, Matheo did a good job and as a result he is, and remains, a good goalkeeper as well.

… Jean-Luc Dompe: Jean-Luc is at the training ground a lot at the moment. He has exceptional ability. He has never been a world champion trainer, but he is always a difference-maker on the pitch. I’ve got the feeling that he wants to work together with me and that he feels at home in this team. He deals with my decisions very respectfully. I’m always thinking about playing him from the start.

"The way in which they work there can be used as a model."

… the opponents: When I say, 'Surprisingly strengthened even more', I’m referring to the fact that the team experienced something in the summer that you have to deal with first; I’m talking about the relegation play-off games. Everyone has played close attention to the team’s reaction. This has shown that they’re doing good work there. They have come out of the starting blocks in exactly the same way as they finished in the 2. Liga last season. Despite a solid defensive foundation, they had the best attack. They have a clear way of playing: Keep a clean sheet at the back and they’re always incredibly dangerous with the boys they’ve got upfront. You have the feeling that you’ve got everything under control and then you go behind, and then you’ve conceded two. They remained calm after last season and haven’t allowed themselves to lose that calmness. The way in which they work there can be used as a model.

 … how the team will approach the game: We’ve got a squad that can hold its own against any team. And we’ll travel there with that in mind, meaning, we want to get the best result possible. The best result possible is getting the three points. To do that we will need quality and clarity in every area. If every time I’m thinking beforehand about what I’m going to experience here in relation to the results of the next few weeks then it becomes difficult. I have to enjoy doing the job. We have the aim of winning in Düsseldorf, but also know about Fortuna’s strengths. We have to fight against these, we won’t stop after this either. When you lose it doesn’t mean that everything is bad, and when you win that everything is good.