HSV's fortunes reverse after Polzin's controversial extension

On 18 September Hamburger SV extended goalkeeper‑coach Merlin Polzin and his coaching team, a move that provoked fierce criticism. Sports director Kathleen Krüger defended the decision, praising their expertise, meticulousness, diligence and daily passion. The extension has since coincided with a dramatic league resurgence.

From criticism to climb

Many fans and experts doubted Polzin at the time, especially after HSV lost its opening three Bundesliga matches: Dortmund 0‑2, Mainz 0‑5 and Leipzig 0‑5. The club sat in 18th place, making the extension look like a poor joke to many.

Nearly two months later HSV had risen to 11th place and matched VfB Stuttgart's twelve points from nine games, sharing the eighth‑place points total. Since the extension the team have collected twelve points from six Bundesliga fixtures, with four wins and two defeats. This performance places HSV fourth in the table for that period, only Bayern Munich having more points.

In the DFB‑Pokal HSV were eliminated by Frankfurt. The post‑extension run featured three straight victories, wins over Hoffenheim and Stuttgart, a brief dip with a loss at Paderborn and two defeats to Frankfurt, and a crucial 3‑1 win over Gladbach.

The early season struggles were partly due to late arrivals of new signings Zakaria El Ouahdi and Fabio Vieira, as well as numerous summer squad changes that required time for the team to gel.