Polzin on defeat to Hoffenheim: "We just had to be better in both boxes"

Polzin on defeat to Hoffenheim: "We just had to be better in both boxes"

After congratulating Christian Ilzer and TSG Hoffenheim on their 2-1 win this evening which ensured European football for the Sinsheimers next season, Merlin Polzin choose to take the positives from what he felt was a respectable performance.

“For us as HSV, it was important to put in a performance that reflected our approach to this season and our aims,” the HSV head coach said in the mixed zone afterwards.

"That meant we wanted to defend aggressively and make life difficult for the opponent by closing the spaces and remaining alert. We wanted to lift the stadium and make it hard for a Champions League-chasing side like Hoffenheim to take the points.

We definitely managed that. Our team never gave up until the end and played with a lot of versatility – and all that against a team who are having an incredible season. This performance has definitely left me feeling confident for the weeks ahead," he added.

The 35-year-old gaffer also gave some time to offer constructive criticism to his squad. He felt his side could have done more to keep their opposition out while also offering more threat in attack.

"Despite the improved performance, we have to be critical of the fact that, at the end of the day, we just had to be better in both boxes. We shouldn’t sugarcoat things when we’ve come away empty-handed.

"Whatever the quality of the opponent, we needed to defend better for both goals. At the same time, you have to take the clearcut chances you create, because you’re probably unlikely to get too many.

“That’s part of our process, though. We’ll carry on with that process, because it’s brought us this far. We now need to shake off our disappointment, put this result behind us and prepare to face Frankfurt,” he added.