Another Bundesliga preview from a guest writer who calls HSV his team.
For Hamburg SV, last year was a familiar situation for the only remaining original member of the Bundesliga. It marked the 3rd time in 4 years that the Dinosaurs barely avoided being relegated for the first time in their history. The first two years 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 saw them win the Relegation/Promotion playoffs on Aggregate. The 2015/2016 season saw them finish 10th in the League, their highest finish since the 2012/2013 campaign when they finished 7th. The end of last year, Hamburg fans were expecting the worst of having to play in yet another Promotion/Relegation playoff. The final day of the season vs Wolfsburg at the Volksparkstadion would become one of the most important games in the history of the club. Hamburg edged out a 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg in the final minutes of the match, which had been very well-played by both sides.
Hamburg secured safety. It was a happy ending to what had been a disappointing season. Many of the Hamburg loyal thought last year was their year to potentially make a statement, possibly by winning an automatic spot in the Europa League. Especially with the signings of players like Bobby Wood, who was part of the talented group of Americans to play in the Bundesliga last year. This year the Hamburg fans won’t expect any different. They want to shoot as high as they can. Overcoming their rivals that outplayed them last season, including the likes of Werder Bremen in the Nordderby, Bayer Leverkusen, and RB Leipzig. With the new signings of players, like Germany U-21 Keeper Julian Pollersbeck, Greek Centre Back Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Forward André Hahn, 18-year old Dutch Centre Back Rick van Drongelen, and Full-Back Gotoku Sakai being named team captain for next season. These new faces combined with the team veterans like Mueller, Holtby, Lasogga, Ekdal, and Hunt, could make this Hamburg side into a well-rounded, in-depth, competitive squad.
Hamburg last year was knocked out of the DFB Pokal by Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Their hopes for another deep run into the tournament were cut short on August 13th in a 3-1 loss to VFL Osnabruck. As for their position in the Bundesliga itself, it is still not entirely certain where they will land this year. However if Hamburg want to be taken seriously, the first step would be winning automatic qualification to the Europa league. In order to have a shot at this though Hamburg will need to have decent away form, as well as a dominating home form. The thought is that if by the end of the first half of the season, if the Dinosaurs can finish as high as 7th, which will put them into a good position to make a run at Europa league qualification in the second half.
