Post match reaction
27.09.18
“WE CAME BACK AFTER SUNDAY AND PLAYED WITH RESILIENCE”
HSV Returned home with a piont after a 0-0 draw away at Greuther Fürth. There was, therefore, a mixed post-match reaction from the Rothosen. Here is the reaction from the HSV head coach and players.
On Matchday 7 of the 2. Bundesliga season, HSV had to make do with a point after a goalless draw at SpVgg Greuther Fürth. It was the first 0-0 draw for HSV in 16 competitive games under the stewardship of Christian Titz. His men were much-improved after the 5-0 home loss at the weekend to SSV Jahn Regensburg and showed the required response. Stable at the back, tough in their tackling and controlled going forward, HSV had the majority of the ball and dominated the game. The stats – 70% possession, 14 shots to Fürth’s 8 and 517 completed passes to Fürth’s 160 – reflected HSV’s dominance but unfortunately the scoreline did not. As a result, the HSV players were disappointed after the game to not have come away with all three points. The step forward is clear but they didn’t get the win that their efforts deserved. The improved performance can be used as a positive now ahead of the upcoming derby against FC St. Pauli.
Lewis Holtby: I thought, apart from the first 10 minutes, we played really well away from home. We had a lot of possession, we were tough in our tackles and created a lot of chances. We wanted to bring stability back into our game and that’s what we did. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get what we deserved with the win. But as soon as we got back into the dressing room after the final whistle, we started focusing and looking forward to the derby. We need to recover well now and we want to win the game so badly.
Khaled Narey: It was strange for me to play here today as an opponent. It was a tough game. We didn’t concede many chances apart from the early free-kick. And that was a step in the right direction today. It is never easy playing here in Fürth. They are compact and can counter very quickly. So it’s hard to find space. Last season at Fürth, we won a lot of games at home and made the game hard for the opponent. And so our concentration until now had been on today’s game. But now it’s all about the derby, that we really want to win.
David Bates: After Sunday’s game, we needed to focus today on being stable at the back. We defended well and controlled the game, but we needed to be more incisive with our build-up play. We are a young team and we have a lot still to learn. It is disappointing that we couldn’t win today. We need to stay positive ahead of the derby on Sunday and build on today’s performance.
Gotoku Sakai: We dominated the game, especially in the second half and when we lost the ball, we changed our shape well. In the first half, we took a bit of time to get into the game but we remained patient and we were resilient too. We didn’t create enough clear-cut opportunities but step-by-step is the way forward.
Christian Titz: We took a few minutes to get into the game and the team had to get the previous game out of their minds. We wanted to be more stable defensively and we were successful in that. We defended well and didn’t offer many chances. Going forward, we were a bit sloppy. We were too slow. We should’ve given our players who are good at dribbling more opportunity to get into the game and get at the opposition. We did have a few chances though, so we could’ve got three points from the game. But we’ll have to live with a point.
Damir Buric (Greuther Fürth head coach): We responded well after Sunday and showed good mental strength. We wanted to show our fans the fighting spirit we have. HSV have a brilliant team with lots of individual talent. So we needed to stay tight and cut out the gaps. We neutralised them for the vast majority of the game. It’s not easy to do that because they bring their keeper into the game and so they can get a numerical advantage, which means they pose a great threat.