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Hamburger SV Seeks Offensive Improvements Ahead of Bundesliga Season
Hamburger SV (HSV) is gearing up for the new Bundesliga season, but the team is facing a persistent challenge: goal-scoring. The club's offensive strategy has been hampered by the absence of a classic number 10 playmaker, a role crucial for linking midfield to attack and creating scoring opportunities.
The team, which has welcomed nine new players, is currently focusing on integrating these additions and building new team chemistry. However, the lack of a creative midfielder has contributed to HSV's struggle to generate goals.
HSV's coach, Merlin Polzin, acknowledges the need for change. He sees tactical adjustments as necessary, but does not plan to drastically alter his tactics before the DFB-Pokal game in Pirmasens. Instead, Polzin's second approach to addressing the goal-scoring drought involves changing the way HSV plays forward, emphasizing teamwork, pressing, and collective defensive effort to regain possession and create chances.
During the pre-season, HSV attempted to attack the depth of the field with long balls, but these were rarely played through their opponents' defense. The team came close to scoring on several occasions, with chances from Ransford Königsdörffer and Nicolás Capaldo, as well as Rayan Philippe and Nicolás Capaldo (again), all going unconverted.
Comparisons with other Bundesliga teams suggest that HSV might consider similar striker profiles or tactical flexibility to overcome their scoring issues. Clubs like RB Leipzig have invested in versatile forwards like Rômulo, who can play both classic number 9 roles and more varied attacking roles, helping to create a more dynamic offense.
Despite the challenges, Polzin remains optimistic. He believes that games like the one against RCD Mallorca, which HSV lost 0:2, will happen in the Bundesliga. Polzin emphasizes the need for HSV to break away from the mindset of only playing against other teams and everything else staying the same after seven years in the 2.Bundesliga. He sees "relatively many possibilities for the guys to be deployed with their respective qualities."
As the season approaches, HSV continues to experiment with their offensive strategy, with no explicit new formation or signing targeting a number 10 role reported yet. The team's focus remains on improving understanding and cohesion among players, particularly new signings, to become more effective in front of goal.
Hamburg SV aims to enhance their goal-scoring abilities, a crucial factor in their Bundesliga campaign, by focusing on teamwork, pressing, and collective defensive effort. This approach, if successful, could emulate the tactical flexibility displayed by clubs like RB Leipzig, who have strategically invested in versatile forwards such as Rômulo.
