Interview

Meffert: "That's how you know that we are a real team".

In an interview with HSV.de, Jonas Meffert talks about the convincing home win against Regensburg, his personal development and the upcoming home match marathon until the end of the year.

Once again, the focus was on others. After the 4:1 home win against SSV Jahn Regensburg last Saturday (20 November), the performances of Sonny Kittel and Faride Alidou were (rightly) particularly appreciated, while Jonas Meffert's strong performance again remained rather under the radar. As usual, the 27-year-old six-man acted as a hoover in front of the defence and did his job reliably and inconspicuously. So it takes a second look to realise that "Meffo", with 71 per cent of duels won and an 83 per cent pass rate, played a decisive part in the convincing success. In the HSV.de interview, the experienced second division perennial (159 appearances) talks about his balancing role in the Rothosen game, the further development of his offensive qualities and the upcoming home match marathon, which begins next Sunday (28 November, kick-off: 1.30 pm) with the game against FC Ingolstadt 04.

Meffo, for many HSVers the 4:1 home win against SSV Jahn Regensburg felt like a liberation. How did you feel after the final whistle?

It was a mixture of relief and happiness. After we missed a few chances to score at the beginning, I subconsciously wondered if it was going to be another close game. Somehow, almost everything went right that day, but Jahn wasn't in the best shape either. It's very important that we finally won by more than one goal.

Tim Walter shows Jonas Meffert a direction. Tim Walter (left) and Jonas Meffert already worked together successfully at Holstein Kiel in the 2018/19 season. In total, "Meffo" played 45 competitive games under the 46-year-old.

Was the clear success also a consequence of the fact that the team is now adapting head coach Tim Walter's complex playing idea better and better?

In general, things are definitely getting better from week to week. Through the games, you get better into the routines. On Saturday, it also helped us that the Regensburg team started high up the pitch. That opened up a lot of space for us, which we used well. Many other opponents played the attacking pressing only very situationally and not quite as sustainably. But even against deep-lying teams we did it really well, unfortunately we often didn't get the reward.

Let's talk about your role in the team. You were again a very important factor against Jahn and won 71 percent of your duels, yet it's your teammates who are celebrated after the victories. What do you think about that?

I have no problem with that at all. On the contrary, I have a lot of respect for the performance of our offensive players, because the spaces there are even tighter than in my area. I simply did my job against Regensburg, Sonny Kittel, for example, also did his job and delivered some nice things as well. In general, though, I think all the boys put in a good performance. The good performance of Mario Vuskovic comes to mind, who played from the start for only the second time. You can see from this example that we are a real team, because there are hardly any noticeable differences in quality when other boys have to step up. The substitutes also bring in fresh momentum, which is extremely important.

The coach said a while ago that you are crucial for the balance between defence and offence. Against the ball, your qualities are well known, what developmental steps can you still take on the offensive side with regard to your goal tally?

At least I already have two assists this season. (laughs) But it's far from the case that I would rate my performance as perfect. There are still many areas where I can improve. Before the season, it was also a personal goal for me to get into the goal-scoring areas more often. Recently, that wasn't always possible because in many situations the focus was on protection. Nevertheless, I want to improve in this area.

The HSV pros celebrate with the Rothosen fans in front of the North Stand. Ingolstadt, Rostock, Schalke: HSV will play three of the last four games of 2021 at the Volksparkstadion.

Until the end of the year, there are still three home games and only one away game on the schedule. Can that be a decisive advantage in the fight for a good starting position?

100 per cent. For all of us, every home game is a highlight, it's really fun. The fans create a great atmosphere even when the stadium is not sold out.e.

At best, you will make the supporters happy again on Sunday when FC Ingolstadt 04 are guests at the Volksparkstadion. The "Schanzer" have only six points after 14 games and are bottom of the table. Why should we still not underestimate the Bavarians?

We have already played against a team at the bottom of the table once this season and only managed a draw in Aue. That wasn't because we underestimated the opponent, but it should still be a warning. Ingolstadt has a notable team on paper and has recorded many unfortunate match results recently. So it's not like they lose every game without a chance. That's why I'm very sure it will be a difficult game.