Press conference
14.03.19
“Work just as hard and show the same drive“
In the press conference ahead of HSV’s home game against SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday, head coach Hannes Wolf spoke about his expectations on the game, the amount of tickets sold and captain Aaron Hunt’s injury.
Wolf’s men face SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday at Volksparkstadion and face a tough test. Following Sunday’s 4-0 victory in the 101st city derby, Die Rothosen will look to take another three points when facing 12th placed Darmstadt. “In this league it feels like every game could go either way. Against Darmstadt we have to work just as hard and show the same desire and drive,” said the 37-year-old in Thursday’s press conference and also underlined the importance of the fans, with a crowd of around 54,000 expected for the game. “The interaction between the team and the fans is very important, especially in the final third of the season. We need the support from the fans even when we are finding the match tough or there are times where things aren’t going our way.”
In the press conference, Hannes Wolf spoke about…
… feelings after the derby victory: Yesterday in training we had no time to celebrate; we had to keep focused and concentrated on our work. Of course you can take positives away from a victory like that, but you have to keep focused and move on to the next task. You have to work just as hard and show the same desire and drive – that’s our task now. We need to reach the same levels of intensity, shape and compactness once again.
… his expectations for the game: In this league every game could go either way. It is certainly not a given that we will beat Darmstadt on Saturday. We need the support from the fans even when we are finding the match touch or there are times where things aren’t going our way. We won’t win every game 4-0 – we need to fight and are expecting a difficult game. It is a big ask. Darmstadt beat Kiel and took six points from their last three games. They play with tempo, are strong on the counter-attack and are dangerous from set pieces. We have to give it everything we’ve got.
… the attendance for the game: I think the kick-off time makes the difference. The ground was also relatively full before the derby. Perhaps more people are coming with a different mood because of the derby win. The interaction between the team and the fans is very important, especially in the final third of the season. It is always our job to put the fans in good spirits through what we do on the pitch.
… Aaron Hunt: It’s very annoying and unfortunate that Aaron is injured again. It is the third injury on the same muscle. We will take our time to make sure he recovers properly. The last time we waited a lot before reintroducing him to training and he missed the Regensburg game. He trained ten days and now he’s injured again. For this type of injury, it is normally three to four weeks out, but with his history it could be a bit longer. Ideally we will have him back for the final few games of the season if everything goes to plan. Until then we will do everything we can to replace him.
… his personal approach to the final third of the season: I try to do my job as best as possible today. Tomorrow I’ll try and go one step better and one more the day after. That is the only thing that counts – only then can the days makes sense. If you spend time working out and going through every possible alternative, then you rob yourself of the energy required to influence the things you can actually influence. That is not enjoyable and is much more passive. For me, if you give everything you’ve got in every area, you can take the rest with humility.
… Darmstadt head coach Dimitrios Grammozis: We have never faced each other before but I have followed his career. He is a former Bundesliga player who has worked hard over the years and did a good job as the youth coach at Bochum. He has a great reputation, not just in his career but also his personality, therefore I would say that he has earned the step into professional football.