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After enduring the long wait of 2,660 days without top-flight German football, Hamburg marked their Bundesliga return by taking on Borussia Mönchengladbach at Borussia-Park. Coincidentally, Gladbach were the last opponent HSV faced in the Bundesliga before they were relegated for the first time in their history back in 2018. Keen to punctuate their long-awaited return with three points, Merlin Polzin’s side flew out of the gates, dominating the early exchanges thanks to some high-octane counter-pressing.
It wasn’t entirely sustainable, however, and the Foals grew into the half, with new striker Haris Tabaković going close on his debut multiple times with his head. Franck Honorat also began to test Daniel Heuer Fernandes – something which became increasingly more common in the second half as Gladbach dominated possession. There was late drama as substitute William Mikelbrencis thought he had won it at the death for the Red Shorts, but his 89th minute goal was correctly ruled out for offside. HSV may feel hard done by, but neither will they turn their noses up at a well-deserved point.
Hamburg will need time to adjust to the Bundesliga
Eclectic may be the perfect word to describe Hamburg’s performance on Sunday afternoon. The Red Shorts enjoyed a really impressive opening 15 minutes on the front foot and were not the least bit intimidated by the Bundesliga giants opposite them, but they couldn’t convert their chances. Before long, they reverted to getting bodies behind the ball and soaking up the pressure, with Heuer Fernandes providing a stellar goalkeeping display when called upon.
Last season, Hamburg had the best offensive record in Bundesliga 2 by some way, and, as such, their initial confidence will please Polzin and fans alike. However, having stepped up a division, they need to be more clinical. They cannot afford to overload defences with numbers, otherwise they’ll be punished, but neither can they sit back and invite pressure – a balance needs to be struck. The clean sheet will rightfully be seen as a huge positive, though.
No Kleindienst no party?
Gladbach’s talismanic forward will miss the opening stages of the season as he continues to recover from a knee injury which should see him sidelined until the end of October or early November. In his stead, Tabaković started, who had joined on a season-long loan from Hoffenheim earlier in the summer. The 31-year-old did not manage to find the back of the net, though it wasn’t for a lack of chance creation, as Gladbach finished the game with an xG of 1.29.
Fellow summer arrival Shūto Machino replaced him in the 83rd minute, but struggled to affect the game. In Kleindienst’s absence, head coach Gerardo Seoane has a decision to make; whether to stick with a striker of a similar profile to Kleindienst in Tabaković, or to alter his tactics and favour Machino. Either way, there may be offensive teething problems in the coming weeks for the Foals.
2025/26 could be a big year for Rocco Reitz
Off the back of a strong UEFA Euro 2025 with Germany’s U21s which saw Germany go all the way to the final before tasting defeat at the hands of England, Reitz has shown no signs of slowing. The 23-year-old midfielder gave a really energetic performance for Gladbach and was their stand-out player in the second half, leading by example and coming the closest on two occasions to breaking the deadlock. If Gladbach are to improve upon their tenth-place finish last season, Seoane will be hoping Reitz can take on more responsibility and consistently deliver, especially within a Foals outfit not blessed with tremendous squad depth.
GGFN | Sam Carey
