Training camp

HSV arrive in Ötztal for Austria training camp

HSV have arrived in Oberlängenfeld with a 30-man squad for the next phase of their pre-season preparations. Five intensive days of training and a friendly await the Rothosen at their camp in Austria.

Set against the mountain scenery of the Ötztal valley, the AQUA DOME – Tirol Therme Längenfeld will be HSV’s base until Saturday. The Rothosen are staying at the hotel and spa complex for the first time since 2017, but there will be little time to enjoy its ten pools and 12 saunas. The focus will instead be on the training pitch just a short walk away, where the squad have everything they need for the work ahead.

Travel and recovery on Sunday

HSV will be back on the training pitch on Monday morning, when the workload steps up again. Following Saturday’s 3-2 defeat away to SK Rapid Vienna in their first pre-season friendly, Sunday was reserved for recovery and the journey to the training camp. The squad travelled from Vienna via Innsbruck before heading on to Oberlängenfeld.

The coaching staff also used the journey to start going through the Rapid game in more detail. “I’m already looking forward to going through the video analysis with the lads because it will show us exactly where we still need to improve if we want to play with even greater intensity,” HSV head coach Merlin Polzin had explained at his post-match press conference the previous evening. The Hamburg native once again underlined one of the main aims of pre-season: to keep raising the intensity in both training and matches, particularly so HSV can cope better when games become more open and less predictable.

The 35-year-old has added three players to the squad that travelled to the opening training camp in Denmark. New signing Martin Adeline, who made his HSV debut against Rapid, is joined by academy players Henri Schümann and Kelvin Ojo. The pair made their own way to Austria together with Colin Poppelbaum after playing for the U21s.

Youngsters continue to gain valuable experience

Several players from the HSV Campus have been involved with the first team since the start of pre-season, with six of them featuring against Rapid: Louis Lemke (pictured), Shafiq Nandja, Elias Lahti, Jason Bissi-Mouelle, Thierry Sedlatschek and Jannes von Diczelski. “These friendlies in top-class conditions are hugely important for the lads and their development. There are plenty of moments where they realise what they still need to work on, while we get to see how far they have already come. The lads gave everything, and that is the most important thing. Loic is one of the biggest advocates of our academy. He knows the good work that is being done there and was absolutely right to say in the summer that this is only the beginning,” says Polzin of the close relationship between the academy and first team.

Louis Lemke was one of the youngsters to make a particularly strong impression against the Viennese outfit. The 16-year-old, who became the youngest player ever to represent HSV’s first team towards the end of last season, repeatedly showed the confidence to get forward while also defending well against lively Rapid winger Yusuf Demir. “Louis played a little longer and he earned that. But this is only the beginning for him too. We’ll continue to develop him at the right pace, just like the other youngsters.”

That development continues on Monday morning in the Ötztal. Before then, the senior players and youngsters will spend Sunday evening watching the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina together – a chance to see the very best in action before the hard work begins again.

Training camp squad:

Goalkeepers: Daniel Heuer Fernandes, Fernando Dickes, Colin Poppelbaum, Elias Lahti, Bennet Schmidt

Defenders: Daniel Elfadli, Warmed Omari, Jordan Torunarigha, Nicolas Capaldo, Joel Agyekum, Shafiq Nandja, Louis Lemke, Jason Bissi-Mouelle, Henri Schümann

Midfielders: Martin Adeline, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Immanuel Pherai, Albert Grønbæk, Nicolai Remberg, Kofi Amoako, Thierry Sedlatschek, Jannes von Diczelski

Forwards: Jean-Luc Dompe, Rayan Philippe, Yussuf Poulsen, Bakery Jatta, Emir Sahiti, Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit, Fabio Balde, Kelvin Oj