“Our mantra is always to keep on improving”

Tim Walter has clearly set out his approach ahead of the fourth competitive game of the 2023/24 season. The HSV head coach wants to make the most of his side’s attacking firepower to get a result in Saturday’s home match against Hertha BSC (19th August, 20:30 CEST), but he knows that the recent defensive frailties need addressing. How he intends on going about that, what strengths the “Old Lady” will bring to the Volkspark and the latest team news are all things the 47-year-old spoke about in Thursday’s pre-match press conference.

The head coach on…

…team news: We will have to see how Immanuel Pherai feels in the next days. Time will tell whether he can play or not. Ludovit Reis is definitely an option, althouth it’s not clear if he will be a candidate for the starting line-up. Sebastian Schonlau injury has healed structurally, but there is still some scarring, which is causing the occasional twinge. We want to increase his workload steadily and then we’ll see how long he needs to get back to fitness.

…Hertha’s situation: Hertha need to find their feet in the league, and their squad planning isn’t complete yet either. Their [5-0] DFB-Pokal win in Jena shows that they’re on the right path. Pal Dardai is a coach with a clear idea, which is something I like. Let’s see how they set up on Saturday.

“There’s no getting away from the fact that we’ve conceded too many goals. We’re working flat out to improve.”

…defensive problems: There’s no getting away from the fact that we’ve conceded too many goals. You have to consider them individually though and find explanations. We can’t use that as an excuse, however. We have a newly-formed defence, which is still gelling together. We’re working flat out to improve things – that’s always our mantra.