Press conference

"We are working on improving our home record"

HSV coach Christian Titz spoke in the press conference ahead of the home game against VfL Bochum about the forwards in the squad, the home record and the strengths of the upcoming opponents.

The energy-sapping weeks packed with games are a thing of the past and HSV can now get into a normal rhythm of league games. The break has also helped Christian Titz, who came across as very relaxed in today’s presser but not without the excitement ahead of this weekend’s game. The head coach was well aware that the current home record (seven points from five games) must improve. The 47-year-old has worked with the players who did not go on international duty during the week on how to improve the home record. It will become evident on Sunday whether this work has paid off, as HSV host VfL Bochum at the Volksparkstadion. The club from the Ruhr are hot on the heels of HSV in the table and have just extended the contract of manager Robin Dutt. Titz expects the opponents to be compact and described them as a team that also ‘like to play in the final third’.

The head coach spoke about …

Fiete Arp had a fitness test after his ankle injury but will be fit to face Bochum

… the current home record: It is obvious that we have managed to win more games on the road but we are working on improving our home record. We know that we have to win our home games to compete at the top of the table. We have not defended well from counter attacks in our past few games and we can hopefully show some improvements on this front on Sunday. We owe it to our fans because they support the team and this club and come in their numbers week in week out. We hope we can reward the fans with a win on Sunday.

… the strikers in the squad: Fiete Arp had an independent fitness test today and will train as normal tomorrow. Hee-chan Hwang also trained individually but he will be there tomorrow as he came across no problems today. Pierre-Michel Lasogga trained well and Khaled Narey is also an option. I will meet with the other coaches tomorrow to make a decision.

Christian Titz believes there needs to be an improvement on the counter attack, which has been worked on in training

… finding the right balance going forward: I don’t believe that possession football and counter attacking are opposites. If we have the space in a match, we would take advantage of it. We have come across a few difficulties, as our opponents have given us no room and play really compact, which is something the other top teams have come up against. You need to find the solutions and find different ways to use the ball. Both styles of play are needed at different times.

… the upcoming opponents: I believe that Bochum are also very dangerous on the ball and like to play football. They try to attack their opponent. We are hoping that we can counter attack well when there is a turnover in possession. There is lots of room for improvement in this area of our game. VfL like to play in the final third and have shown this season that they have quality going forward. It will not be an easy game because VfL are both strong in attack and defence.