Schultz: “The fans can look forward to a game that will hopefully go end to end”
Monday, 07. November 2022, 16:10 Uhr
In a two-match week that brings an end to the first half of the season, the Boys in Brown entertain Holstein Kiel on Tuesday evening (18.30 CET) before travelling to Karlsruhe this Saturday (13 CET). In the run-up to the final home game of the year, head coach Timo Schultz took questions from the Hamburg media.
Timo Schultz on…
...the injury situation and the short time to prepare: “The focus yesterday was solely on recovery and analysing our performance. Today is all about preparing to face Kiel. We usually have two days off after a game but will be training normally today and might rehearse one or two things with Kiel in mind. After the Düsseldorf game every day less we have to prepare is quite good actually. We have to see how fresh the lads are for Kiel. Basically, everyone’s available apart from the suspended Betim Fazliji.”
...the pressure to pick up points after dropping to 16th place: “We see the standings as well. We’d like to have more points and be in a better position, but that’s not the case and we only have ourselves to blame. We know we need results and points, but that’s not going to change the way we work with the lads. They’re up for it every day and want to keep developing.”
...opponents Holstein Kiel: “They’re a very experienced side with players who’ve been at the club a long time and have played in the second division or even the first. I think both teams will play attacking football and the fans can look forward to a game that will hopefully go from end to end with chances for both teams and hopefully we’ll make better use of ours. We watched Kiel yesterday and will devote more time to them today. The task will be to keep the intensity high and hassle our opponents. If you let them get on with it, they’ll always come up with answers and exploit their attacking quality. We’re at home and will go at it from the off. We’ll push forward and be brave and aggressive. That will be the key to success for us.”
...the discrepancy between home and away form: “I’ve been here 16 years and it feels like we’ve been better at home than away for 13 of them. The difference this year is too big, though, and you do wonder why that can be. The Millerntor is a fortress, of course. We have the fans behind us, which helps you deal with setbacks and get back into the game better. We have performed well away from home but haven’t been able to get our reward. We need to find a way of changing that as soon as possible, but we’re at home first and focusing on Kiel before we turn our attention to Karlsruhe. We’re aware some big adjustments may be necessary to turn the corner.”
...looking forward to the final home of the year: “A packed house and the funfair next door – it doesn’t get much better than this. I can only speak for myself, but when you can see all the lights in the background and the floodlights are on, it’s a whole different feeling. It’s the same for most of the players.”
Photos: Witters
