Football Season Guide

The frustration and disappointment continued for Hamburger last season as their attempt at promotion failed for a sixth consecutive campaign. The club were third when boss Tim Walter was replaced by Steffen Baumgart in February, but he was unable to bring life to an underachieving squad, as they eventually finished outside the promotion play-off spot in fourth. The quality of the squad has never been questioned but more the mentality at times, Baumgart is likely to have worked hard on this during a full pre-season while also making some adjustments to his playing staff. The Red Shorts conceded too many goals last season and this is an area you would expect to see some improvement, scoring them has not been an issue, but finding the balance between the two areas of the pitch is key. The addition of Daniel Elfadli from Magdeburg will certainly help in central defence, although he can also be used in midfield. Laszlo Benes was a standout performer last season with 13 goals and 11 assists, so losing him to Union Berlin isn’t ideal. Robert Glatzel remains the focal point in attack but the signing of Davie Selke on a free transfer should also benefit them, not prolific on the goalscoring side but his physicality and work-rate will cause problems for opposition defences. The club have also added Czech U21 international Adam Karabec on loan from Sparta Prague, he has a strong left foot and can play on the flank or in central midfield. The right-back position is an area that will need strengthening before the start after van der Brempt's loan spell ended.