Team

“We just need to play our football”

William Mikelbrencis left France at the age of 18 to join HSV and begin his footballing career in Germany. He has spoken about the particular challenges regarding the move, his overall development and the upcoming clash in Ulm.

In the summer of 2022, William Mikelbrencis began a new chapter both in his footballing career and in his life when he made the move to HSV. The then 18-year-old left his native France for the first time, where he had enjoyed his footballing education primarily as a youth player at Metz (2015-21), for whom he also made his senior debut and with whom he took his first steps in the professional game (2021-22). He now calls north Germany and Hamburg home, rather than north-eastern France. “It was obviously a big change. There is definitely a different football culture here in Germany – it’s more physical, especially in Bundesliga 2. There are more tackles flying in and the intensity is higher. In France, I tended to come up against players that mainly wanted to dribble,” explained Mikelbrencis regarding the footballing differences that he has had to become accustomed to. New cultural variations also came as a shock to the U20 international off the pitch. “I was very surprised that everyone had dinner at 6pm. I wasn’t used to that,” he smiled.

Back with the first team following some match practice with the u21s

Taking this kind of step is always bound to be challenging, both on and off the pitch. The right-back learned that the hard way during his first two years at the club. “My early days here were not easy. On top of that, I was alone without my family,” the now 20-year-old reflected. Just 15 senior competitive appearances over the past two seasons was naturally not enough for the five-foot-nine right-footed player to be satisfied, partly down to injury setbacks during his second campaign. William Mikelbrencis fought through that tough period, though, always willing to gain match practice with the Rothosen’s U21 side in the fourth division. “It was the right move for me as a young player to gain some match practice in the U21s,” he stated. “In football, things happen very quickly so my aim was to give my all in the U21s to try and stand out with my performances so that I could join the senior team again at some point.”

"Merlin always believed in me and now I want to repay that faith on the pitch"

It was plan that worked, since Hamburg’s number two has fought his way back into the senior set-up, making eight appearances for the first team, including the DFB-Pokal tie away to SC Freiburg as well as the last three league matches against Schalke, Karlsruhe and Darmstadt, for which he made in the starting XI. “Of course, getting starts is great for my confidence and I am working hard right now to solidify my place in the first team,” explained Mikelbrencis. The support from the current coaching staff comprised of Merlin Polzin and assistants Loic Fave and Richard Krohn, who were also his coaches at U21 level as head coach and assistant coach respectively, is helping him to do just that. “Both had a very positive influence on me. They spoke to me a lot and were there for me. With Loic, of course, it also helps that he speaks French,” revealed the youngster. The Frenchman has also built up a special relationship with the current first team head coach Merlin Polzin since his arrival in Hamburg. “Merlin and I have known each other for a while now. He did a lot of video analysis with me and showed me things I could do better in one-on-one situations. Merlin always believed in me and now I want to repay that faith on the pitch.”

William Mikelbrencis is making good progress during this, his third year at HSV, and is far from done in terms of his development. Next on the agenda is tomorrow’s match away to SSV Ulm, which the Frenchman and his teammates will approach fully focused. “The most important thing is that we don’t take the game lightly and respect the opponent. After all, there is a reason why they are in this league. We just need to play our football and support each other as a footballing family. If we can do that, we’ll come away with a positive result.”