Hamburger SV were the biggest gainers on Matchday 24. The Hanseatics now lie just five points behind Bayern München in the race for the title.
Ahead of the “northern derby” with in-form VfL Wolfsburg, bundesliga.de spoke with HSV coach Huub Stevens about the match, the situation at the club - and who might succeed him.
bundesliga.de: Herr Stevens, Bayern and Bremen are stumbling. Hamburg are now second, just five points adrift of the top. After beating Dortmund 1-0 you didn’t want to talk about winning the title. Has anything changed since? It would be the perfect send-off for you…
Huub Stevens: Nothing has changed. I’m not concerned about ending up top of the table. We set ourselves the target of finishing higher than we did last season. So far, it’s looking pretty good, but we still have ten “deciders” ahead of us. And we know they are going to be very tough.
bundesliga.de: You gave your team two days off after beating Dortmund. Were they running on empty after such a heavy schedule? What is under the most strain after an intense period like that, the body or the psyche?
Stevens: Up till then, we had absolutely no opportunity to take any time off. It was one game after another. After the Dortmund match, the players had the chance to recuperate physically and mentally. Because the past few weeks have been very strenuous, for sure.
bundesliga.de: On Saturday, you have the “northern derby” at VfL Wolfsburg. The “Wolves” won last time out in Bremen, and are the form team of 2008. They also knocked your side out of the DFB Cup quarter-finals. What makes them so strong at the moment?
Stevens: The fact that they have such a good team! That was evident in their last game, at Bremen. VfL are very solid at the back and have dangerous players going forward. But we proved in the cup that we are capable of doing the job ourselves in the Volkswagen Arena. Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalise on the good chances we created.
bundesliga.de: What strategy do you have in mind for the game?
Stevens: I can’t say as yet, as I don’t know what’s going to happen between now and kick-off. Things can move quickly in football. Let’s just wait and see.
bundesliga.de: The search for your successor is gathering pace in Hamburg. To what extent are you involved in the process?
Stevens: I have nothing to do with such matters. If I’m asked, I’ll be happy to offer my opinion. But I’m confident the board will find a very good coach for the team.
bundesliga.de: To your mind, what type of coach would be best suited to HSV?
Stevens: What I think is not important. As I said, the board will find a good coach for the team.
Interview: Sven Becker
Dejagah is eager to please!
VfL earn three points in Bremen
“A win is everything that counts”