Press Conference
13.09.18
“Laying the groundwork to reach the very top”
In Thursday’s press conference before the upcoming game against 1. FC Heidenheim, Christian Titz spoke about Lewis Holtby’s injury, HSV’s opponents and the club’s new arrival from South Korea.
After their previous match was unexpectedly rearranged, the first competitive fixture in 19 days now awaits Coach Christian Titz’s team. Die Rothosen have a lot of momentum going into their next game, having won three matches in a row now. On Saturday, 1. FC Heidenheim head to the Volksparkstadion in the fifth 2. Bundesliga matchday of the season, kicking off at 13:00 (CEST). Despite the positive results of the last few weeks, Titz’s team are still approaching the next game with caution: “I think that Heidenheim have actually made a very good start to the season. They’ve already proved that they play tidy football. We won’t just roll over for them,” stated the coach in the press conference before the match. Saturday’s clash will be the first ever match between the two clubs.
The Coach spoke in detail on...
...Lewis Holtby’s injury: It looks like he won’t be ready in time for the match against Heidenheim unfortunately. He has a ligament injury and we hope that he’ll be able to return to training next week. It’s no secret that Lewis is a very important player for us.
...the situation with Arp and Wintzheimer: Both are in a developmental phase and need time to settle. Fluctuations in performance are relatively normal at this age, but both players have enormous potential and I’m certain that they will play a part this season.
...the opposition: We’re up against a very interesting team, as Heidenheim play very good and varying football. They’ve proved several times that they want to play proper football, but equally their defence will be very well suited to how we play. All in all, we’re expecting to face a very unpleasant opponent.
Hee-chan Hwang was fully committed in just his first training session at the club.
...the game: I learnt in my early days here that this club is expected to win. If we want to reach the top of the table, we’ve got to win more matches. Of course that’s a pretty simple thing to say. We’ll play against Heidenheim with the full intention of winning. When we win at home, we’re laying the groundwork to reach the very top.
...the busy fixture calendar: The international break was a good opportunity for us to do more intense and concentrated training sessions with those who stayed in Hamburg, and we had more time to spend with individual players. Some demanding weeks lie ahead of us now, and it will be important for us to retain full focus. Due to the increased strain on the squad with all these midweek fixtures, we won’t be sending the players who don’t make the matchday squad to play for the U21s, like we normally do.
...new arrival Hee-chan Hwang: He’s made a very good impression so far. He’s enthusiastic, direct and seriously quick – all qualities we expected of him. I don’t want to go over the top, but he’ll definitely be a player who can help the team progress.