Polzin: “It will be a special moment for us”

To mark the occasion, HSV will wear a special-edition home shirt. Merlin Polzin and press officer Philipp Langer presented it to the media. “It’s an important issue and I want to help raise awareness and encourage people to engage with it properly. It will be a special moment for us as a team to wear this shirt,” said the Hamburg-born coach before answering football-related questions.

Polzin spoke about…

…learnings from recent games: We’ve made progress that we can definitely be happy with – especially in terms of how we want to play. We’ve taken a big step forward since the start of the season. At the same time, we’ve also seen that in this league you will always struggle if you’re not sharp in key moments, whether that’s defending or taking your chances. That’s what makes this league so strong: the level of the teams and the individual players. It’s important for us to recognise what the right behaviours are in the decisive moments. Those are the situations where we want to show we’ve learned and developed. I’m pleased we have the next opportunity to do that on Saturday.

…expectations for the game: These are exactly the moments and matches we’ve been missing here for years. If you read: HSV vs Borussia Dortmund, Saturday 15:30, sold-out Volksparkstadion – that’s just brilliant, and the excitement is huge. You can feel it in the squad, the staff and the whole club. We know we’re facing a team that is constantly in Europe and has internationals in every position. A lot has to come together for us to be successful in this kind of game. But as a team, we’ve set ourselves a clear goal: to give absolutely everything and try to spring a surprise. Not many people expect it, but it can be fun to achieve something others don’t see coming. We’ve prepared well and we want to make sure this is a special moment in a packed Volksparkstadion. Beyond tactical details, it’s about getting the stadium behind us and making that extra run for your teammate. I’m very optimistic the lads will deliver.

“At HSV, we support players not just when things are going well, but especially when the criticism gets louder”

…BVB head coach and former HSV player Niko Kovac: The 4-4 against Juventus was recently revisited for the anniversary. Of course I know him from his playing days and what he stood for. I’m looking forward to meeting him in person. But his time here as a player and my time as a fan are a long way back. The task now is to make life as difficult for him and his team as possible.

…the situation up front: It’s less about names and more about profiles. All three forwards have areas where they can and want to improve. I’m pleased to have options. It’s not about a fixed hierarchy – it’s about which profile suits which match. We’ve shown recently, like in Cologne, that we can threaten in transition and from structured possession, and create plenty of chances in the box. That gives me confidence that with a little more luck in front of goal, we’ll convert those chances. The key is that we are creating them, and that increases the likelihood that goals will come.

…criticism of Ransford Königsdörffer: He handles it calmly because he knows what really matters when judging his situation: his teammates, the coaching staff and the club. We’re aware of how things get discussed externally when a striker doesn’t have the finishing touch. For us it’s an important reminder of how to support each other when things aren’t going perfectly. At HSV, we don’t just stand by players when everything is going great – especially in moments when criticism gets louder, we stick together.