Post Match Thought's
21.11.21
Special game, special guys
Tim Walter gave his team two days off after the 4:1 win against Regensburg. To rest, to recharge their batteries, to come to terms with the many experiences of the home victory, which was special in both its nature and the way it came about.
It was a spontaneous decision that HSV coach Tim Walter made after the extremely spectacular and energy-sapping 90 minutes on Saturday (20 November). "Men, we'll see each other again on Tuesday," was the message to his team. Meaning: Sunday training cancelled, two days off. Reward. And reason, because: "All the players really stepped on the gas, were also fully in it mentally and showed a huge willingness," the coach found words of appreciation for his team immediately after the home victory over Regensburg, who had been second in the standings up to that point.
His decision also took into account that the game against SSV Jahn had definitely been an energy-sapping one. From kick-off, the Reds had taken control of the game, had trapped their opponents in their own half, had constantly been on the run and had hardly given themselves, the opponents or the spectators a moment to catch their breath. With this style of play, the Reds even won praise from the visiting coach: "HSV were simply very, very good, you have to recognise that," said Mersad Selimbegovic, "they never let up and played enormously fast and pressurefully forwards again and again, that's why the victory for HSV is absolutely in order." And this time they had many names.
In goal, Marko Johansson radiated a lot of confidence, as did Mario Vuskovic, who just turned 20 last week, and the new left-back Miro Muheim, as well as kilometre man Jonas Meffert, who fought his way through despite a broken toe and won a sensational 71 per cent of tackles for a midfielder. And there was a lot going forward anyway, with Robert Glatzel working hard for the team. The final score was 4:1. First Ludovit Reis on Faride Alidou's assist. Then Alidou himself after a pass from Sonny Kittel.
Later Kittel himself. And finally Anssi Suhonen after another Kittel assist. So after 90 offensively impressive and defensively stable minutes the statistics of a victory read, which was also deserved in the amount, because the Rothosen at no time of the game stopped to crank up the attacking machine. And so, after the 2-1 half-time score - and in addition to a goal by Bakery Jatta, which was disallowed for being slightly offside but was nevertheless beautifully played out, as well as a goal by Sebastian Schonlau with a crossbar - the goals for 3:1 and 4:1 rounded off a great football Sunday evening, on which the 23,000 spectators in the Volksparkstadion - driven by the play of their team - created an atmosphere reminiscent of a full house.
"The atmosphere was just great, there's no other way to put it," said Suhonen enthusiastically after the final whistle. And the fans, for their part, were thrilled with their team's play, which had actually been badly shaken due to the many absences caused by injuries. Daniel Heuer Fernandes, Tim Leibold, Jonas David, Josha Vagnoman - the list goes on. But the team made up for it, and the spectators particularly enjoyed Alidou, which is why the Hamburg youngster was able to enjoy scene applause and chants of encouragement.
Walter, of course, also liked the performance of his winger, but he did not want to single him out on this day despite the goal and the assist. "That would not do justice to all the other players, because they all showed a really strong performance - whether they started or were substituted. And Sonny even a little bit more," the coach explained, smiling and at the same time lifting one of his players a few centimetres above the others. And that was not only due to his almost unbelievable statistic of this game, as Walter emphasised.
And that would have been enough to more than justify a special praise. Kittel had not only managed to permanently push his team and his own game forward and to provide the most assists of all players on the pitch, but also to score four points in a single game. First he set up the 2:1 for Alidou, even gesturing to the goal scorer as he dribbled, then he served Suhonen the 4:1 and in between he managed the feat of setting up the 3:1 himself.
For as friends of statistics know, in the case of a penalty goal, the person previously fouled is credited with the preparatory work - whereby Hamburg's number 10, who had been rudely stopped by Kennedy, prepared his own goal, so to speak. Crazy. Of course, this free skate also pleased Walter, although Hamburg's coach was even more enthusiastic about the basis of the performance of his oldest starting player. He said of the 28-year-old after the game: "You can see how much Sonny has matured, how he takes responsibility for the team and that he is incredibly important for the team in this role." The praised player passed on the warm words directly to the team instead of basking in them himself: "The fact that we managed such an impressive performance with so many young players makes me proud of our team."
And after a hard day's work and a well-deserved celebration, they were able to rejoice with the enthusiastic spectators in the atmospheric Volksparkstadion about their coach's decision to send them to Regensburg for regeneration! So: two days off, relax, recharge. As much fun as the game against SSV Jahn had been, it had also taken a lot of energy and left its mark. Therefore: Regenerate, which is what many players came to do in the stadium, and then start attacking again on Tuesday and focus on the next game.
That will take place on Sunday (28 November). It will be against FC Ingolstadt. And as the fixture list would have it, at this one point in the football year it will not be the usual home-away rhythm, which was particularly pleasing for the man of the match and thus one of the special guys. "We're already looking forward to next weekend," Sonny Kittel said into the microphone immediately after the final whistle, despite all the exhaustion, "because it's home again." He actually deserved another score point for this wonderful summary of the current atmosphere and this special match.