NEWS
Only 17th in the Table: Misery at Hoffenheim
TSG Hoffenheim suffers a late defeat against HSV - Christian Ilzer and Andreas Schicker try to remain calm.
TSG Hoffenheim once again left the field as losers in the German Bundesliga.
Against HSV, Christian Ilzer's team initially turned a 0-1 deficit around, but the Kraichgauer still lost 2-3 while shorthanded.
"All in all, it was a deserved victory for HSV. We initially struggled but fought our way back into the game and were rewarded with the equalizer before the break. Shortly after the break, Bamba then scored the leading goal, and we controlled the game," summarizes the TSG coach.
Ilzer: "We also have to defend more when shorthanded"
However, the yellow-red card was not decisive for the game: "We must also manage to defend more effectively when shorthanded. We must collectively develop the strength to turn it around again."
After five games, Hoffenheim is only in 17th place in the table - one win is contrasted by four defeats. Nevertheless, Ilzer believes in a turnaround:
"I am convinced that we have the quality to fight our way out of this phase. We need to look closely, but I must present my boys with clear solutions for what we need to change. However, we also managed today to turn a game around and cause problems for the opponent. That needs to be reinforced. But three goals conceded per game are too many."
Defense as TSG's Achilles' Heel
For Andreas Schicker, his team's defensive behavior is currently the Achilles' heel: "We are currently being severely punished; we simply struggle to defend our own goal. This is certainly the main starting point, that we don't concede these cheap goals."
However, the Sporting Director also sees positives: "It's not as if we're doing everything badly; there were many good things. We need to keep going with those. Then I am convinced that we will also emerge from this definitely difficult phase."
Wimmer Out for Weeks for Hoffenheim
The situation is affecting "everyone, giving everyone pause for thought, but no one is pointing fingers at each other here. We have to master this together. That is the key."
An Austrian, of all people, cannot help with the turnaround in the coming weeks: ÖFB team player Patrick Wimmer will be out for about a month and could therefore also miss the national team's matches against Ireland (14.11.) and Israel (17.11.).
