Training camp
04.01.24
Day 1 in Sotogrande: 100 minutes on the training ground and “late-night lifting"
The Rothosen have arrived in Sotogrande for their winter training camp. Ludovit Reis and Anssi Suhonen were back in team training for the first time.
Tim Walter’s team gathered round on the training ground at the Santa Maria Polo Club at 15:32 CET on Thursday (4th January), thus marking the start of the winter training camp in Sotogrande. The 48-year-old coach spoke to the players for three minutes before the hard work got underway. 26 players and four goalkeepers were involved, with captain Sebastian Schonlau due to arrive at a later date and centre-back Luis Seifert sitting out.
Hard work with and without the ball
The session began with some activation under the guidance of fitness coach Sebastian Capel. The players got themselves loose after spending the early hours of the day travelling. The flight from Hamburg to Malaga was more than three and a half hours, plus the hour drive from there to Sotogrande, so it was important that the players warmed up properly. After some fitness drills with coach Daniel Müssig, the players finally got a ball back at their feet for the first time in 2024, having completed performance tests back in Hamburg over the two previous days.
The initial warm-up lasted around half an hour for the Rothosen. Tim Walter and his coaching team had a close eye on their players during the following drills, which included a game on a small pitch with four goals involved. Right-back William Mikelbrencis had to end training early after a blow to his ankle. The club are awaiting results from scans for the defender.
Reis and Suhonen return to training
Coach Walter and the HSV fans will be keeping their fingers crossed for the Frenchman. One real positive from day one was Ludovit Reis and Anssi Suhonen returning to team training for the first time. Reis had to undergo a shoulder operation, while Suhonen needed another fibula operation. As a precaution, the Finnish midfielder wore shin pads and socks. The next drill saw the side in possession operate with an overload as the other team looked to press them. In order to keep things as tight as possible, the coaches made the pitch as narrow as the 18-yard box.
The session was concluded with some 9v9 games as the squad was split up into three teams. The side not currently in action then completed tempo runs with fitness coach Müssig. Walter ended the 100-minute session with a short team-talk, applauded by the players. It’s clear that the team will be working hard in Spain ahead of the second half of the 2023/24 season. A gym session has been scheduled for 21:00 CET at the team hotel “SO/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort” to round off an intense first day.