Quotes
21.10.18
“We were missing that final pass”
HSV couldn’t break down VfL Bochum, with the game ending 0-0 and both teams having to settle for a point. HSV were ultimately unsatisfied with their performance going forwards. HSV.de presents the post-match reactions.
51,953 fans were in attendance for the second successive goalless draw in the Volksparkstadion. Hamburg once again displayed their defensive strength, although the fans weren’t able to celebrate due to another goalless performance. The majority of home shots came from distance, with some narrowly missing. The HSV players all agreed after the match that the biggest negative from the game was that the team were missing the final pass. HSV.de presents the post-match reactions.
Lewis Holtby: We had a lot of shooting opportunities this afternoon, but instead should have perhaps picked out better positioned teammates. We got into the final third a lot but then couldn’t find the perfect final ball. We played well in general and controlled the game, especially in the last 20 minutes when Bochum weren’t able to attack us much. If you want to get promoted, you need to be winning the majority of your home games. We haven’t taken any enough points at home recently, and we need to start showing more willingness going forward. We’re sorry for the fans as well. We don’t turn up and say we’re going to play for the 0-0. The season goes on though. We have found some stability again and won a lot more tackles as well. We just need to start scoring too.
Aaron Hunt: We didn’t make any real clear cut chances; we just had a number of shots from distance instead. That’s probably a big reason for us not scoring. We sometimes struggle to make chances against teams who sit back a lot. Every week it feels like we have to break into a fortress and the longer games go on, the deeper teams will sit back. This is mainly the case at home too. Nevertheless, I don’t think we are having a crisis at home. We didn’t lose today, although we are slightly disappointed that we couldn’t get the win.
Rick van Drongelen: I don’t think people would be saying that we have a problem up front if we had a bit more luck with our shots. We just couldn’t quite get what we deserved today. I’m personally pleased that we managed to get another clean sheet. The league is very tight at the moment, so it’s important that we start winning our home games again. We need to start getting what we should from these games. Once we start doing that, it’ll be a lot easier for the club and for every HSV fan.
Orel Mangala: We put in a good performance today. We had a lot of possession, but couldn’t find that final pass or shot to score. Sometimes it’s a bit too tight and crowded, but that isn’t always down to the opponents. We perhaps need more luck in the final third, but we will carry on working on this. I’m confident we will start scoring again soon.
Khaled Narey: We want to score in every game and had the opportunities to do so today. Therefore it’s disappointing that we failed to get a goal today. We want to entertain and please the supporters with goals and wins at home especially. All fans want to see attacking football – we do as well. But against teams like Bochum it can sometimes be difficult to find spaces and gaps.
Ralf Becker: The biggest positive from today’s game is that we got another clean sheet and didn’t give them many chances. We are finding it slightly difficult at the moment to make clear-cut chances for ourselves. We need to perform better at home though. With 50,000 patient fans, we have a massive advantage over our opponents. We need to improve attacking game in the coming weeks though. We won’t reach our goals without being a strong force at home.
Christian Titz: It wasn’t a bad point today, as they are a strong team who also defended well. They were very calm on the ball and we had to be careful that we weren’t caught on the counter by them. My team really tried hard today, but lacked the final pass or shot in the final third. Games like today just show us that we perhaps need to get an early goal at home, so that we are more confident for the rest of the game.
Robin Dutt: The run of play was quite similar to what we expected before the game. I think that we managed to win the ball back well in the first half and won a lot of important tackles. Lukas Hinterseer had our best chance, when he tried to lob the keeper. Robbie Kruse also had a good opportunity to put us ahead just after the break. The game definitely deserved some goals, although overall it was a hard-fought draw. I think both teams were worthy of a point at the end of the day.