Interview

"We want to show a reaction out on the pitch"

In the press conference before Thursday’s away game against SPVGG Greuther Fürth, HSV sporting director Ralf Becker spoke about the lessons learnt from the home defeat to Regensburg, how the current situation is being dealt with and Die Rothosen’s upcoming opponents.

When Ralf Becker went to Tuesday morning’s training session before the press conference, he went in determined. The HSV sporting director calmly spoke about Sunday’s defeat and echoed Christian Titz’s words from the day before on how the defeat should not be sugar-coated. However, he doesn’t believe that the team have lost form and referenced the quality in the squad. In the same breath he made it clear that everyone in the club knew from day one that the 2. Bundesliga would be a tough league and this was repeated on the day of the match. “We’ll only be successful in this league when we adopt the style of play. We must always put up some resistance and not gift the opposition goals. But we knew that from the very first day,” stated Becker, adding: “It’s now important to show a reaction out on the pitch. This is what we want to do.”

HSV Sporting Director Ralf Becker doesn’t want to sugar-coat the loss against Regensburg, and therefore is now focussing on the upcoming game.

The Sporting Director spoke in detail about:

... the abject defeat against Regensburg: It’s important to say that Sunday’s defeat can’t be suger-coated. It's clear that we deserved to lose to Regensburg, there's not much else to be said. We know we had an awful day, but we also realise that we’ve had a few successful weeks beforehand. Now we’ve got to focus on the upcoming game against Fürth so that we can get a good result.

... dealing with the current situation: It’s crucial that we talk through the situation openly with the coaching staff. It’s also vital to analyse the match and look forwards to concentrate on the next task in-hand. On Thursday evening, we already have the chance to put the defeat behind us, at least to some extent.

... the discussion about rotations: My wish is that everyone here works well together. Everyone belongs here. In a situation like this one, we shouldn’t be picking certain people out. We are all HSV and are trying to do our job as best as possible. We’ve now got to show a reaction out on the pitch.
Ralf Becker knows the quality the team has and would like “to be successful together.” Conversations like this one between Rick van Drongelen and David Bates are therefore important.

... captain Aaron Hunt’s reaction after the game: It is emotionally understandable that a player doesn’t want to talk about such a defeat after the game. You shouldn’t dwell on it for a long period of time. On the other hand, I believe it is important for the captain to address certain things that the team did right in the game. We have a strong squad and we want to be successful as a team.

... instructions for the forthcoming weeks: We are fully satisfied with the quality of the team. We also know that we need to overcome obstacles like this to be successful in the league. That is the basis for success, especially because nothing is easy in the 2. Bundesliga.

... his assessments of HSV’s upcoming opponents, Greuther Fürth: I believe we all no know what to expect from the 2. Bundesliga. Once again, it will be a match where the opponents will be highly motivated to take points off HSV. Fürth will work hard, fight to win the ball and try to break us down. We have to be prepared for that. We will have to play differently compared with our performance on Sunday.