Interview

Elfadli: “Improving every day” is our motto

In this interview with HSV.de, Daniel Elfadli looks back on the first half of the season after his first six months as a member of the Rothosen. The midfielder also spoke about the importance of mindset, inner conviction and playing as a team to achieve their main goal.

hsv.de: Daniel, you made the move from 1. FC Magdeburg to HSV this summer and you quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet. You’ve started 15 games so far and you were unavailable for two matches due to injury and suspension. Hand on heart: were you expecting this to happen before you moved?

Daniel Elfadli: I probably didn’t think that it would be going so well. I thought I’d be playing regularly, though. I have this conviction, and I fully believe in it, too. Of course, getting so much game time to this point is perfect. I couldn’t have imagined it going better.

Your tally of five goal contributions (two goals, three assists) is close to your personal best season, your 2019/20 Oberliga campaign with SSV Reutlingen, when you had six. Did you set yourself the aim of getting forward more, or is that a result of the style of play?

I didn’t consciously aim to do so. I think that it’s partly down to the in-game scenarios. You notice that when there’s a chance to get forward and it’s starting to get dangerous, midfielders aren’t really on the defenders’ radar. It’s like with my goal against Nürnberg, when I won the ball back high up the pitch and joined the attack.

“I think that your head is sometimes more important than your feet”

In summer, you emphasised that your aim was to nail down a starting spot. Your career being a journey of small steps forward is what makes it special. How do you keep managing to move boundaries in order to achieve your goals?

I simply believe that anything is possible. I have faith in my own ability – that’s the most important thing. It’s something you can say to anyone: you should believe in yourself. And you’ve got to keep working on yourself, making things better and learning to take criticism, even when it’s painful. It’s also important to stay true to yourself and your style of play. With enough time, each and every football player can improve. I think that your head is sometimes more important than your feet in that regard. It’s something you can work on.

Could you explain that in more detail?

I frame things in a positive way. Fundamentally, I have a good mindset, always try to approach things with optimism and boost my confidence that way. It’s impactful when it comes from within, much more so than waiting for validation from other people.

It was a case of ‘second time’s the charm’ as far as your move to HSV was concerned. Now that you’ve been a member of the Rothosen for half a season and have a more intimate connection with the club, what did you find most impressive about it?

The whole club impressed me. I have known about HSV since I was a kid. Back then, I knew it was a huge club. It was amazing to finally experience how it feels to play in front of 60,000 fans week in, week out, and also get a sense of the size of the club in the process. The media and demands for success are also incredible.

Were there any unexpected surprises?

Not really – I tried to mentally prepare myself for everything. The fact that the move only materialised second time round meant I technically had a longer lead-in period, which I used to follow the club avidly and talk to former players, like Julian Pollersbeck and Tatsuya Ito, as well as former head coach Christian Titz, about HSV.

Your personal expectations have been met or exceeded, then. As a team, the first half of the season was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. What’s your take on the campaign so far?

Rollercoaster is the right word for it. It was a pretty patchy first half of the season. It didn’t really go how we imagined. There are a few areas that we need to improve in. There was a difference between the expectations and the demands. That being said, we’re feeling good about making amends over the second half of the season and, most importantly, picking up points more consistently. That was our problem. Every now and then, we had games where we let points slip.

You also experienced your fair share of up and downs over the past couple of games. First, you were sent off in the 1-1 draw against Ulm. Then, you watched the exhilarating 5-0 home win from the stands, next to the technical area. How did you find it?

I would have preferred to be on the pitch – I’m bad at watching games. I’m also more nervous in the stands than when I’m playing, since I have less control. I find it exhausting and nerve-wracking, but sitting near the technical area was ideal. When you look down at the game from a bird’s eye view, you can see the things that are working well and not so well more clearly. When Davie scored, you could see how thrilled I was for him, since I impulsively copied his celebration right after he did it. (laughs)

Now, you’re back in the middle of the action with the team. You’re in Belek (Turkey) at the moment working towards the second half of the 2024/25 season. What do you make of the mood in the camp?

The mood feels positive. We’ve got a lot of energy. The boys came back feeling rested having had a good time with their friends and family, either on holiday or at home. We’re tackling the training camp as a team and are working on the things we need to improve.

What are the hardest parts of training at the moment?

There are a few areas - lots of fine-tuning. But if I want to play the best I can, we need to instill belief and, most importantly, joy into our game. The latter has gone missing in a few matches. It’s all about finding that extra gear in our attack again and playing with a lot of confidence.

You’re also playing with a new formation under Merlin Polzin and his coaching staff. What are your thoughts on that?

It’s good – the coaches are clearly putting a lot of effort in and have a lot of experience despite being so young. Their approach is good and we’re all fully behind it as a team. We’re getting involved and trying to implement all the ideas. All three coaches are doing a really great job. They’re preparing us well for the games and giving us more mental encouragement so we can push ourselves beyond the limit. “Improving every day” is our motto at the moment.

The training sessions are noticeably longer now. You don’t stand around having conversations as much and are on the ball more often. Do you notice that as a player?

Yes, it’s noticeable. The intensity is a great deal higher. As a player, there are more actions and repetitions, which prepare you for a game in a different way. Of course, it’s more tiring, but I like this way of doing things. It’s fun. And, by the same token, discussions have not fallen completely by the wayside, rather we speak for longer right before and after the sessions.

You’ve always emphasised that you want to motivate and inspire your teammates with your mindset. How are you going to go about this successfully in the second half of the season and what aims have you set?

Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that you can only succeed as a team and that individuals only have the chance to shine when the team is cohesive. You can play as well you want individually – if the team is not gelling, you won’t look like you are playing well, either. It’s an idea that we’re all trying to impart and I’m trying to play my part with my personality and by taking responsibility. We want to become a stronger unit in order to come away with results more consistently and achieve our main goal. It’s only possible if we do it together.