Courage, self-confidence and intensity

SV Elversberg lost to promoted team SSV Ulm 3:1 on their last day of play. Their disappointment was huge – but now they are turning their sights back to their next difficult away challenge as they head off to the capital to face Hertha BSC. 

Their last appearance at the venerable Olympiastadion was very lopsided: in a wild match, SVE lost 1:5 without really being the worst of the two teams. Coach Horst Steffen’s team is expected to do much better in terms of results this year. Given this, the training week after the Ulm game was also put to intensive use to analyse and work on their errors. ‘We were all hugely disappointed after the match against Ulm. There were a few points that we have managed better in the past, and we have pointed these out to the boys again – and now we are looking ahead to Berlin’, Steffen said at the press conference. Steffen also discussed what they looked at and worked on: ‘On Sunday, we have the opportunity to improve a few things; run-in, rest defence, but also our attacking activities.’ 

We want to be bold and self-confident, and once again increase our intensity levels. These are the basic requirements.

Horst Steffen

Regardless of what his team could improve on, they are facing an extremely strong opponent: ‘Hertha has a lot of very good individual players, but also a clear system. Cristian Fiél’s signature is evident here’, Steffen says. ‘The Berlin team have good game development and are consistently able to achieve goals. The game will be a challenge that we are looking forward to, but will also require us to put in a good performance if we are to gain any points.’ After six games, Hertha already have ten points, including three wins and a draw. Cristian Fiél’s team have walked off the pitch as the losing team twice. 

Unlike the match against SSV Ulm, there will be no changes to the squad situation, but Steffen is hoping for something else to appear on the pitch. ‘We want to be bold and self-confident, and once again increase our intensity levels. These are the basic requirements’, Horst Steffen says: ‘It is all about regaining the momentum we had before our match against Ulm, being motivated and capable, and also keeping a certain degree of lightness to our play.’ Lightness is something that has to be developed – but as SVE have frequently shown, they absolutely can.