Press conference
19.04.19
"100% in this match"
In the press conference ahead of Saturday’s home game against Aue, head coach Hannes Wolf spoke about the return of Aaron Hunt, the significance of the match and the pressure of the end of the season run-in.
HSV will host Erzgebirge Aue at 13:00 CEST at the Volksparkstadion on Saturday in front of over 50,000 supporters. “We want to give everything together, so we need the whole stadium behind us,” said Hannes Wolf in the press conference a day before the game. Every single remaining game should be treated as if it were a final. How it will pan out is unknown, but the head coach promised, “we will do everything possible in order to win our games. We are taking it step-by-step.” Therefore, nobody should be thinking of any other games or cup semi-finals at this point in time. “We don’t need any distractions – tomorrow is very important. We need to channel our emotions into energy and strength and push our limits, and go even further.” Wolf will have more options once again for Saturday’s game, as Pierre-Michel Lasogga, Hee-chan Hwang and captain Aaron Hunt all return to availability.
The 38-year-old spoke about...
... team news: I’m very pleased with this week because a lot of players returned to full training, which strengthens our options. As well as Aaron and Pierre, Hee-chan also returned. This gives me a few difficult decisions for the Starting XI, but that’s the way it should be. If everything decided itself, then it wouldn’t be a good sign. Therefore it is really good that everyone is back and hopefully we can put a good XI out on the field whilst also having options from the bench that can make us even stronger.
... Aaron Hunt: We are constantly in communication with him and the medical department. Physically he is in a good way and has trained plenty in the past few weeks. At this moment in time, he won’t be able to complete the full 90 minutes, but could possibly start or come into the game from the bench. He has proven several times in the past that he can play after a short period of time.
... the possible injury risk: Football is a sport that will always carry a risk of injury. It is also clear that some players who have previously been inured may have a higher risk than others. The question is whether the risk is lower in one, two, three weeks time than it is now. We can’t prevent that, and we don’t want to either. If you play with a philosophy in order to avoid injuries, then you lack a touch of tempo, intensity and rigour. Of course we try to reduce it and review it as best we can, but we will never be able to completely prevent it.
... Manuel Wintzheimer: Manu didn’t only do well in Köln, but also in the few days beforehand. That’s why when we needed a goal, I thought he could help. He took a huge step in his career. It’s possible that he could start the game on Saturday, but Pierre has also trained fully - I’m glad that his injury has disappeared.
... the significance of the game: Aue is like a final. With the situation in the league and the number of remaining games, it can’t be any other way. Only after the game will I then think about who can play three days later. Aue and all of the other games feel like finals. In Köln we ran almost 120 kilometres and played with a very high intensity. We have to do that tomorrow as well. We are demanding the willingness to push our limits and go further. After that, we have three days in order to prepare for the next game.
… the pressure: There is obviously pressure there. We’re coming to the end of the season and there’s a lot at stake. We can’t pretend that there isn’t. If we did that, we’d suddenly find ourselves under pressure in a game and not know how to deal with it. Therefore we will put the pressure on ourselves. From that you have to be stronger. This is something everyone involved in top-level sport needs to do. I don’t agree with people just saying that it’s only football. It means a lot. We need to get over the line using our energy and strength. We have proven we can do this recently. Tomorrow’s game will be a different type of match, but will be equally as difficult.
… the matchday: We won’t be showing the scores from the other games. We don’t need any added distractions. We can find out the scores after our game. It’s clear that if we aren’t ready to give 100% we won’t necessarily have the feeling that we will get something from the game. Therefore we will concentrate on the game and not allow ourselves to be distracted. It wouldn’t be good if the scores come on the scoreboards.
…the ends to the last home games: Obviously we have to do better in the 93rd minute of games. We need to play our game, regardless of the result. Obviously you need to defend well and set yourselves up correctly. We want to take all our opportunities and hopefully have a bit of luck so that not every shot ends up being a goal. We want to constantly push forward. It would be wrong and naïve to go into the game thinking we are favourites. After the game, we will look at the running stats, to see if we have reached our goal.