“A difficult challenge that we are looking forward to”

The Volksparkstadion will be sold out for the 11th time in a row on Sunday (3rd September) when F.C. Hansa Rostock visit Hamburg for the duel of the Hanseatic cities. But much more important than this impressive stat are the points that Tim Walter and his team have picked up in these games in front of a full house. 23 points from ten games — a fantastic return! Of course, the aim is to build on this as much as possible against Rostock, who have made a very strong start to the new season. In the press conference ahead of the fifth matchday, the head coach explained how this can be achieved, which players are available for the game and what the fans can look forward to. In detail, Tim Walter spoke about... 

…the squad: László Bénes has returned to training after his cold. He feels good, so I expect that he will be able to play. In Lukasz Poreba's case, he did well in training yesterday, but trained indoors today because he had muscular problems. It’s important to give him the necessary time to familiarise himself with the team bit by bit. We are very happy that Sebastian Schonlau, the captain, is back, but again, in order to play, it’s crucial that he’s back to full fitness. 

...the upcoming opponents: Overall, Hansa Rostock have a lot of potential. They’re a team who look solid and it’s testament to the hard work put in by the coach. He already did a great job in Sandhausen and he’s kept up the good work at Rostock. They’re a team that’s tricky to play against and have made improvements, so it’ll be a challenge for us on Sunday. Nevertheless, we’re looking forward to it.

"The Volkspark is a bit like a big get-together."

…the fortress at home: We are taking the supporters along with us due to the style of football we are playing. On the other hand, the supporters drag us along. We have a great relationship with one another. Meanwhile, the fans are carrying each other along on this journey, which is what pleases me most. It’s an experience to be able to go to the Volkspark. The Hamburg fans are always keen to come to the stadium because they have a great time with one another at the weekend. The Volkspark is a bit like a big get-together. We are fortunate to have a 12th man at our disposal.


...the HSV squad: The squad is the result of continuous and faithful work with one another. We keep to ourselves regarding this and try to work with lads who suit us well. This squad correlates most profoundly with our philosophy and our fundamental values such as courage, a willingness to work hard and learn, and passion. In this regard, Jonas Boldt, Claus Costa and the scouting team have done a good job. We are very well-balanced and you can now see that we are more stable in defence and have brought in quality in that area. Additionally, we have also continued to develop several players such as Daniel Heuer Fernandes, Ludovit Reis and Robert Glatzel in the last few years. I have always said that patience and time are the crucial factors. You need a certain number of transfer windows in order to put together a squad. Money isn’t always fundamental.