IIn this situation, after this low blow, even breakfast is used as a yardstick. HSV coach Tim Walter says there was laughter when he and his players sat together in the Volksparkstadion the day after the sobering mood and rang in the morning before training. Now that the relegation is due this Thursday (8.45 p.m., Sat.1 and Sky), all kinds of evidence is being sought as to who is doing how. They both had to cope with drama, the ones in Hamburg and the ones in Stuttgart.
At first, VfB slipped unexpectedly from 15th place to 16th relegation place after beating Hoffenheim 1-1 on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, HSV was already in the Bundesliga for seven minutes after the 1-0 win at SV Sandhausen, the players celebrated with the fans on the pitch and the Sandhausen stadium announcer congratulated the guests on their promotion before Heidenheim lost Regensburg won 3-2 with a goal from Tim Kleindienst in the ninth minute of stoppage time and instead of HSV, they rose directly with Darmstadt as second division champions. So who put it away better?
We, claim the Hamburgers and cite more evidence than just their cheerfully crushed rolls. From a psychological point of view, there are initially two scenarios: After the ups and downs of these seven minutes in Sandhausen, the Hamburg patient is so off track that the Stuttgart team have an easy time. Or: He can even draw energy from it because he didn’t owe anything himself – at least not in this season finale. Mandatory victory in Sandhausen, wasn’t enough, ticked off, new task. Roughly.
Doubts are energetically wiped away by HSV
And that’s how the people of Hamburg want it to be understood. They want to have drawn something positive out of it after completing their homework in Sandhausen, despite the emotional rollercoaster ride after the final whistle and the frustrated meal (pasta with vegetables and white bread) in the Sandhausen cabin. They speak of a “now more than ever” mentality, doubts are energetically wiped away and coach Walter simply turns plus and minus into pluses. “I can’t think negatively and act positively,” said the 47-year-old, “that doesn’t work. Therefore there are no negative thoughts at all.”
Which of course comes as a bit of a surprise in view of Hamburg’s history, also with regard to Walter. Because it is now his second relegation, the first one under his direction was lost, as is well known. 1-0 in Berlin, 0-2 in Hamburg – no chance.
HSV has been in the second division for five years now and has tried to escape four times. This can also be seen from two sides: on the one hand no other club took part in the Bundesliga relegation so often, on the other hand no other club was in trouble or unsuccessful so often. From a Hamburg point of view, however, they withstood the pressure at the weekend and the Stuttgart team didn’t. That’s her perspective. When looking for arguments for the success of the mission, her calculations are simple – this time really – the situation speaks for her.
So the equation is that Stuttgart can be relegated, which nobody wants, which puts pressure on them because they have something to lose in Swabia, while they can win something at HSV because they can get promoted. In addition, also such a special HSV point of view, they have the second leg at home. Like last year, one is tempted to say.
In such a mixed situation, when you look from afar, you end up doubting whether the exclamation mark isn’t just a straw. In any case, they don’t want to hear anything about a crack in Hamburg, instead pointing to the sometimes crazy confusion in their club, of all places. “Our boys have been through so much at the Hamburg location, they have developed further,” says sports director Jonas Boldt.
The statistics do not necessarily speak for the respective second division team in such a relegation. It says that in 24 relegation duels so far, the first division team has prevailed 18 times. However: VfB of all places has bad memories with these knockout games because it failed at Union Berlin four years ago. This makes VfB the last Bundesliga team to have failed against a second division team. In 14 comparisons since the reintroduction in 2009, the second division team has only won three times: Nuremberg (2009 against Cottbus), Düsseldorf (2012 against Hertha BSC) and Union 2019 against Stuttgart.
“I have the statistics in the back of my mind and also the scenario of the last relegation of VfB Stuttgart,” said sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth, who has only been working for the Swabians since December: “But in the end it was a long time ago. There’s a chance that we’ll survive the relegation.” At least it hasn’t gotten any worse since Sebastian Hoeneß has been Stuttgart’s coach. Under his direction, VfB lost only one of the last eight league games.
And then there is undoubtedly the speed advantage that was determined for the Stuttgart team. Wingers Silas, Chris Führich, Tiago Tomás and Tanguy Coulibaly were directly involved in 25 of Stuttgart’s 45 goals this season. That makes a strong overall share of 55.6 percent. They also have more speed than the Hamburg defenders.
HSV central defender Jonas David was Hamburg’s fastest defensive player this season with a top speed of 34 km/h. This value is topped by four VfB attackers: Tomás (35.8 km/h), Silas (35.6), Führich (34.4) and Juan Perea (34.2). HSV captain and defense chief Sebastian Schonlau only manages 31.7 km/h, which is 4.1 km/h slower than Stuttgart’s Tomás. That’s on the plus side.
The typical Walter sentences
HSV coach Walter has also identified a particular weakness. “If with twelve goals conceded (since Sebastian Hoeneß is VfB coach, the editors) there were seven set pieces, it’s an opportunity to score,” he said. Walter also believes that Stuttgart is shaking. “I don’t think they were happy when they heard they were playing against HSV. With our way of playing with and against the ball, we don’t cause the opponent to jump for joy. It’s going to be a great game: VfB Stuttgart, great club, against HSV, great club.”
They are typical Walter sentences. Even missing out on direct promotion seemed like a personal defeat given the self-confidence he had shown throughout the season. Because for him and sports director Boldt, the failure of the mission was never an option.
His offensive style of play often causes a spectacle – and just as often for discussions. He does not accept criticism that he is tactically too inflexible or that the cover is too often too vulnerable. Although HSV had often been put under pressure with simple moves by teams with fewer means in terms of play. Holding on can be construed as consistent—or as stubbornness.
Stuttgart tended towards the latter in 2019. Walter himself was VfB coach for almost six months before the then sports director Sven Mislintat no longer believed in the path he had taken. Despite third place at the turn of the year in the second division, he was fired the day before Christmas Eve. Officially, the Stuttgart Walters cited too risky a game idea as the main reason for the quick ejection.
