Ready for a home game spectacle
SV Elversberg start the new home match week with optimism – the first win gives self-confidence for the next match against HSV.
Originally, the SVE was on the verge of making a great start in the league, but Horst Steffen’s team had to pay a lot of dues in the first three match days after taking the lead. What still distinguishes the club from Kaiserlinde Stadium is the mix between modesty and the demand for spectacle. It never gets boring with SVE. This is also due to Horst Steffen’s hard-nosed adherence to his playing philosophy in the first five games: Offensive, variable and with speed – sometimes too offensive – but that is a desired and calculated risk.
If you look back at the past games, the SVE can and must be satisfied with their performances – but not with their points tally. On the first matchday at Hannover 96, they gave away a 2:0 lead against a strong opponent – not unusual for a promoted team – but still annoying. However, this game already showed that SVE can hold its own in the 2nd division of the German League. And above all: how quickly mistakes can be punished. Because in the “home game” against Hansa Rostock, which took place in Saarbrücken’s Ludwigspark, that is exactly what became apparent. A 1:0 lead, a missed penalty, a lot of chances to close the deal. Then Rostock did it in the 11th and the 13th minute of extra time, thereby ensuring a bitter defeat. The fact that even this defeat did not throw Elversberg off course was then seen in the match against FSV Mainz 05 in the DFB Cup. Another good game – a close defeat in the end of 0:1. Dust yourself off and get back on the horse. This time in Kaiserslautern, at the Betzenberg Arena. Another bitter ending: Trailing, leading, missed opportunities – and in the end crushed by the Betzenberg, without actually knowingwhy. 2:3 defeat. This game also showed: In terms of football, the SVE were certainly superior to the limited FCK – but not yet in terms of experience and stamina.
It was bound to happen after four good games, the Elversberg team had a bad day – in their first real home game at the URSAPHARM Arena, of all places. After a modest performance for the first time, they lost 0:5 against ice-cold Düsseldorf. “It was clear that in this league, on a bad day, we could also suffer a defeat,” Horst Steffen said a few weeks ago. So it was a calculated risk. Thus, it was even more exciting to see SVE recover from it: In the most lacklustre performance in terms of play, Horst Steffen’s team showed what they had been lacking before on the fifth matchday in Osnabrück: Ruthlessness. Because with a 1:0 victory, the first three points in the 2nd Bundesliga went to SVE.
After the first games we can summarise as follows: Football-wise, the SVE can keep up and impress, even in this class. The next step now is to get the coolness that was missing in some games and to also reward the good games with points. Our team has definitely arrives in the 2nd German League and will surely have every opportunity to stay in this division at the end of the season. But there are a few points up for grabs until then. There are more highlights on the horizon: Our SV Elversberg now awaits the next heavyweight encounter in the URSAPHARM Arena – Hamburger SV is coming to the Kaiserlinde. This Bundesliga dinosaur is currently in first place in the table and has lived up to its role so far. Accordingly, the challenge for coach Horst Steffen’s team against HSV is a tough one. It will be difficult to upset the favourites, but not impossible.
